Already Lost
by shadowhunter824
Summary: In the Hunger Games, from the moment you become a tribute, you're stuck. Whether you die or become a slave to Snow, there's no way out. When three teens find themselves in the 57th Hunger Games, they find that no matter what they do, they've already lost. Collab with nadinelikesbooks and Josephm611.
1. Chapter 1

**_A/N: Hi! I'm Nadine (nadinelikesbooks), one of the three collaborating authors of this new fanfiction, Already Lost. While you are reading this, please favorite, follow, and read Josephm11 and Shadowhunter824's wonderful stories. They also are writing the same fanfiction in different point of views, and are amazingly nice people and great writers! So please enjoy our new fanfiction and stay tuned for upcoming chapters in the future! Thank you so much for reading! :-)_**

It's surpassing, the way time flies. It's as if nobody realizes it, but boom! Becoming your next birthday, getting married, or having a baby, those things always happens when time is a series of back to back adventures entwined in the outskirts of your schedule. But for now, I have the Volunteer Ceremony. It's funny, seeming as if I never practiced, yet I spent all of my time this past month shooting my spears upon all of these strenuous targets, practicing my volunteer speech for days, yet this is the day I figure out whether all of that strain and practice was worth it.

My adventurous day begins when my alarm clock buzzes against my carefully carved and polished nightstand and I groggily slam it to shut up. I groan, get out of bed, and do my morning routine; thirty minutes of yoga, and another thirty minutes of spear-throwing. It gets pretty tiring after a while.

Once I am finished, I trot down the stairs and greet my parents with my most confident smile. "Ooh, Lucretia, I have the shivers!" My mom exclaims. "I can't wait! I hope you get in, dear." I know Mom cares about me, and I love her for that. Yet it's kind of ironic to think glorifying yourself in the joy of these Games is the best choice for your sixteen year old daughter.

After devouring my divine breakfast, which is freshly cooked bacon bits and sausage, I wash my hands and dandy myself up for the Ceremony. My olive black hair is curled and clipped loosely in the back, barely hanging below my pale shoulders. I look in the mirror and see my hazel-brown eyes reflected deep beneath my gaze. Glancing at my short, white feather dress with a tint of pink on the edges, I smile. I have to admit, I look beautiful. My grey heels happily _clonk_ against the cement floor when I skip to my parents. "You look pretty," my dad says, not seeming too enthusiastic, yet I shake it off. My mother smiles and gives me a beautiful blue necklace and wraps it around my neck. I admire it and look at myself in the mirror one last time.

Dad sighs and says, "I swear, if you don't get in — "

"I will."

He looks at me for a while and glances away. I guess I could be a little relieved if I wasn't chosen in the Volunteer Ceremony, but then again I did train for a while and I want to make my parents happy.

The Ceremony is in about two hours, so I waste my time by visiting my best friend Ajax in the training center like how we do every day. But I don't practice today since I'm already dolled up, so I just make it in time to chat.

He approaches me in his usual training outfit and I chuckle. "Woke up late this morning?"

He rolls his eyes. "At least I don't have to walk in that for hours."

"Very funny, you nervous?"

"In the contrary. I just hope I'm chosen."

"Yeah…"

"Hey, you know what would be fun?"

I glance at him.

"If we were in the Games together! If we both get chosen to volunteer, that would be so fun, you know?"  
I laugh, saying, "I would totally kill you first."

He rolls his eyes again and wanders off to begin his training. I head home and when I open the door, I hear my dad yelling.

"I don't care, look at her! She needs to look tough, not like some princess!"

Then my mother's voice rises. "She looks fine, get a grip!"

"Our daughter has been training since I could remember, and I don't want it to all be wasted."

"It won't be."

I head into the kitchen and my parents greet me. My dad lets out a heavy breath and says, "Let's go."

We drive to the building, which is a series of bricks and stone, much like my dwelling, packed with cars and people entering the building. I inhale and step out of the car, patting my hair to make sure it's still in place. Heading through the doors, I look for Ajax. I can't wait to see him and laugh at his fancy outfit. Usually he's in the most casual stereotypic t-shirt and jeans, so this will be some surprise.

My parents and I soon split apart, saying goodbye, and I am led into a dormitory with hundreds of kids my age, finding the closest open seat. My eyes trail the room, scanning the well-dressed audience and podium planted in the middle of the room. After about ten minutes, somebody taps my shoulder. I glance and see a tall, poorly dressed man with a weaved basket. Looking inside, I see money. He stares at me with sad eyes, and I pull out a five dollar bill, placing it into the basket, and offer a smile. He returns a smile and nods his head, moving on. Finally, the lights dim and a lady approaches the podium. She taps on the microphone and the audience dies down.

"Much better," she says. "My name is Hadrian Baxwoll. What a pleasure it is to be standing here, recalling amongst the strongest and most courageous man and woman to compete in the 57th Hunger Games!"

Everybody cheers and I hear some faint chanting, saying, "District 2! District 2! We'll kill you!" Over and over again … I can't help but laugh.

Hadrian picks up a small, well creased golden envelope and gently tears it apart. "For the women," she says calmly with a slight smile. As she unfolds the slip of paper I could feel my heart stop and rise up to my throat. I knew who she was going to announce. I knew I would be the one walking up to the podium and shouting "I volunteer!" at the reaping. I keep staring at the podium and as her lips move I don't manage to hear my name auscultate from her lips, in fact, I can't hear anything at all.

Suddenly, eyes search around the room and land on me. I am surprised by how many people know me by spotting me so quickly, then see my pink face on a screen hanging above the podium. I soon realize how fast my heart is beating and let my uneven breath take over me. My heart then unlocks. I can volunteer! And I will. I confidently walk up onto the podium and snatch the microphone. The audience cheers and claps for me and I smile, waving. The applause dies down, then I speak. "Hi, everyone. It truly was an honor being chosen to volunteer for these Games, so thank you all for this amazing opportunity. You all look so amazing today." I say, scanning the audience and their colorful, beautiful outfits, "I am feeling really confident right now. I will strive to bring pride to my District and all of you out there. Thank you, once again, for letting me speak up here and to reflect my thoughts to everyone. May the odds be ever in your favors!" I wave again, and the people cheer and chant. I see my parents' proud faces, my mom crying (of happiness), and my dad with a grimace spread across his face. I haven't seen him this happy since the first day I held a spear. I back up onto the stage and Hadrian returns to the microphone.

Now the boy is announced. I cross my fingers, only hearing the beat of Hadrian's voice as she announces the name written on the slip of paper she unravels from the envelope.

"Ajax Stanbury!"

The whole room applause, echoing inside of my ears, and I clap as well, smiling widely. After a few moments, Ajax, almost unrecognizable, approaches the podium and glances at me, laughing. He is wearing a grey tuxedo with high knee socks and his brown hair is gelled to the side. I guffaw, having to grab my knees so I won't collapse and die laughing. Ajax gives his speech then approaches to me. "Hey, whaddya know? I kinda like this tux. Don't you?"

I snigger then we are escorted out of the building back to our residences. My parents hug me tightly, and I am more than lighthearted to see the proud expressions spread across their faces. "I'm so happy, Lucretia." My Mom says, and squeezes me tightly. My dad hugs me as well, ruffles my hair, and says, "Now all you have to do is win."

I nod, smiling.

We return home and I can't sleep that night. Or the night after that. Or basically the rest of the week. I am joyous, confident, and nervous at the same time. Then some thought occurred to me. I never thought that I might have to kill my best friend. Or he might kill me. That actually might happen? We were joking about it only a day ago, but it had just become serious now. Did it even seem serious to him?

Then I tell myself: No matter what happens, I am prepared. I will win this fight, I am strong. I won't let anything stop me. I was given my chance to prove myself worthy, and I will do anything to overcome it.

I won't let my fear obliterate me into its ashes.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N Hi! Josephm611 here! If you don't know, each one of us is writing a separate character, and here's mine! Enjoy and review!**  
 ** _Emmer Hawes (16), District Nine_**

My family and I are sitting before our fireplace. It's an annual tradition; every year, on the night before Reaping Day, my brother Milton and his wife Kasha come over and have dinner with the rest of the family; i.e., my parents and me.  
But now, the food has been eaten, the table has been cleaned, the dishes have been washed, and we are just sitting. I look at Kasha.  
"When's the baby supposed to come?" I ask.  
"About three months," she replies.  
"Can't wait to be an uncle?" Dad says.  
"I'm just excited. Is there a problem with that?"  
He chuckles.  
"Trust me, I know. I had to wait two separate times for you two."  
I smile.  
"I'll go pop some popcorn," my mom says. Being from District Nine, we aren't super poor, though we're not dirt rich. We can't compare to the Capitol, or even District Four, but we're nowhere as poor as the citizens of District Twelve. I've never gone hungry, but we never have a surplus. We barely make enough money to keep ourselves alive, but I guess that's enough. This popcorn is grown in our own little plot of land, where we grow our vegetables.  
The beautiful "pop, pop, pop" soon fills my ears, and the lovely scent of the corn wafts from the stove and into our noses. My brother gives a contented sigh.  
"Just two more years, then we'll all be happy," he says to me, "You won't be in the reaping, we'll have a little toddler running around the house, and mom and dad will have paid off everything they owe on this house."  
"I still have to get past this one, you know," I say.  
"What, is Emmer actually worried about something? It's a miracle!" Milton says, throwing his hands in the air.  
"Shut up," I say, but I'm smiling and he knows it. He laughs.  
My mother comes in with a large bowl full of the best popcorn in Panem. Milton gets a smaller bowl, fills it with some for Kasha, and hands it to her.  
I listen to the crunching that means so much to me, and I wish I could be in this moment forever. But then again, I'm not sure I want that. Part of what makes life interesting is the unpredictability, and the lows are what make the highs memorable.  
I watch the firelight dance upon our wood floor, and I feel a warmth that only family can bring. My father gets up out of his rocking chair and walks over to the shelf. He picks up his fiddle and fondly plucks a few strings.  
"No good now. It's outta tune," he says. He adroitly tunes the old thing and begins to play. I close my eyes, listening to the music. He always believed that music was the way to a man's soul, and though I didn't get it when I was younger, I now wholeheartedly agree. I feel happiness when he plays a familiar nostagia-filled tune, and a chill runs down my spine as the melody turns slow and haunting. All in all, it comes together, forming a beautiful stream of notes. Finally, he finishes with the classic tune, and I quietly sing along.  
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,  
And never brought to mind?  
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,  
And days o' lang syne  
I close my eyes, letting the warming river of music wash over me.  
I feel a tap on my shoulder. I sit up straight, looking around. The fiddle is back in its place, the fire is burning out, and Milton and Kasha are gone.  
"Huh? What did I miss?" I ask.  
"You fell asleep," my mom says, "It's about time for you to get to bed."  
"Really? But I just woke up," I joke, "And I'm a big boy now, I don't need bedtimes."  
She laughs, remembering that conversation we used to have almost every night. I smile.  
"Fine," I say with exaggerated disappointment.  
"I love you Emmer," she says, hugging me.  
"I love you too."  
As I lay in bed, the warmth slowly fades to dread as I think about tomorrow. The reaping. No matter what I do and what I feel, I always have to come back and face this monster that terrorizes all of us.  
Well, if I've gotta face it, then I'm ready to go.  
Am I?

 **A/N I usually don't care as much, but this is shadowhunter824 (aka Sophie's) first intro to writing fanfiction! She'll be writing the next chapter, so please, if you don't review anything else, review hers! I'm sure she'd greatly appreciate it. *wink wink***


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Hi guys! I'm Sophie (shadowhunter824) as you may know. This is my first fanfiction ever and I really hope you give it a try. I welcome any criticism or tips on how to improve! Please enjoy and review! :)**

 **Demetria Milford (15)**  
 **D9 Female**

"Demi - Demi - DEMI!" I hear as I'm waking up. "What?" I groan. It's like, 5 am. Why does this happen to me? I open my eyes groggily to see my mom standing next to me with her usual blue apron. "Get up Demi! It's already 7:30 on reaping day! Are you out if your mind? You promised you'd get up earlier this year!" Mom yells. Oh, right. I did say that. "Okay okay sorry I'm up now." I say, avoiding eye contact. "I've got a special breakfast for you today Demi. I traded some cheese for a bit of ham and a couple of eggs!" Mom says as she quickly changes her mood and remembers today is reaping day... The day where I could be chosen to die. Mom spoils me, since I was born earlier and I wasn't expected to live past my first year. My brother Gavin and father treat me as if I'm still six years old. As most would say, I'm the baby of the family. Mom and dad always did what they could to keep me from being reaped. They're the best parents I could ever ask for.

As mom leaves the room, I change quickly into my new reaping outfit; a simple pale yellow dress that goes past my knees. I take a quick look in the mirror. Short but decently built. Hazel green eyes I have always been fond of. My dirty blonde tangled hair falls past my shoulders. I can fix that a little later with my best friend Millie. We always meet in the gap between our houses before the reaping. Well, in the 3 years we've even participated. I have a bad feeling this year and I'm extremely nervous. You know what they say, the unlucky 15th... Actually no one says that, I'm just really worried, as usual. I shuffle to the table and see mom, Gavin, and dad sitting at the table waiting for me before they begin eating. Gavin gives me a smile as to say "only a few more years, don't worry". Easy for him to think, he's already twenty two and has almost forgotten what reaping day is like. I sit down on my spot at the table and look down at my plate. Eggs, ham, cheese and white bread cover the entire area. I can't even begin to express how lucky I am to have such a wonderful family. I scarf down my food and ask to be excused. I really want to see Millie right now.

I leave the house and see Millie already standing in our usual spot. She grins widely as she sees me and comes over to give me a hug. I return the hug, but with less energy. "What's wrong Demi?" She asks. "I've got a bad feeling. A really bad feeling this year," I reply. She laughs and says, "That's what you say every year, silly. What are the odds? Don't worry! It'll all be totally fine!" Man, I wish I could be as optimistic as her. She's always so cheerful. "Okay." I sigh. "I'll do your hair! It needs quite a bit of fixing." Millie says. "Sure, thanks. A bit? It looks like a bird's nest. Good luck with that." I say back.

We spend the next couple of hours laughing and talking. My worries almost subside. She fixes my hair into a really delicate braid on the side. Ever since we were little, Millie was always good at braiding. "It's 11:45 girls, time to start heading to the Reaping." Her mom calls out. I get up and thank Millie for doing my hair and return back home for a quick last check with my parents. I also grab my bracelet, the one Millie made for me many years ago. It's a couple of wheat stalks intricately braided into a bracelet, with my family name etched into it. I can't go anywhere without it. One last look in the mirror before I hurry downstairs to meet with my family.

When we arrive at the Square, I give everyone one last hug before I meet with Millie in the girls' section. My usual nervousness returns. Oh no, I'm going to be reaped. What will I do? Errrrr I'm good with traps, but that's pretty much it. Worried thoughts swarm my head, and then I see Millie. Relieved, I start towards her.

We stand next to each other as the mayor gives his speech, and the escort Valencia gives hers. I tune out, I'm too nervous to really care. "And now, for the girls!" Valencia squeals. This is it, please don't be me... I squeeze my eyes shut. "Demetria Milford!" She calls out.

Afraid to open my eyes, I process everything she just said. She just called my name. My name. This can't be happening, no, please. I open my eyes to see Millie with tears in her eyes looking at me wistfully, and somewhere in the crowd is my mother crying loudly. Taking a deep breath and trying not to pass out, I step up on stage, wobbling. I'm too astonished to cry. "And now, for the boys." Valencia's annoying voice yaks over the microphone. "Emmer Hawes." A boy much taller than me steps onto the stage. He has brown hair and looks well built. Don't trust him for a second, I warn myself. I still can't believe this is actually happening. Next thing I know, I'm being led to the Justice Building. More like, half dragged since I keep turning back into the crowd to find Millie and my family.

Mom and dad burst into the room. Gavin follows quickly. They all envelope me in this hug, no words said. That's okay, since I know words are worthless right now. They hug me for as long as they can. Like me, just too shocked and devastated to speak. I'm not afraid to die, I'm just afraid of what will happen to the people who love when I die. Dying now is worse than dying as a baby. There's more emotional attachment now, too late to let go. My mom is still crying, and I can tell Dad and Gavin are holding back tears.

When the peacekeepers come to tell us time is up, Mom starts screaming. She hates the Capitol for taking me. She wants to kill them. Giving each of them one last hug, Dad and Gavin pull my mom home. As soon as they leave, Millie barges into the room. She throws herself at me and starts to give me a pep talk about staying alive and how I can do it. I'm trying to listen I just can't deal with the optimism right now. There's simply no chance. As the peacekeepers come in and drag her out, she cries "Demetria you CAN do it and I WILL see you again!" Her eternal optimism is getting slightly too persistent.

I sit alone in this quiet room. Thinking, about how absolutely normal my life was just two hours ago. I feel the urge to laugh hysterically. This all must be a dream. I consider the possible outcomes. Suddenly, I realize that no matter what, I've already lost.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N Hello! This is an Emmer chapter, so that means that I, Joseph, am writing this chapter.**

 _ **Emmer Hawes (16), District Nine Male Tribute in the 57th Hunger Games**_

I am a tribute. A tribute. This wasn't supposed to happen! I was supposed to make it through the Reaping and be there to see my new nephew. I was supposed to be with my family tonight, celebrating the fact that I made it out, trying to forget that two teens are on their way to a deathmatch. But now, I'm on this train, barreling forward at a couple hundred miles per hour, going to my certain death. Strike that, my ALMOST certain death. I guess I could make it out. Then again, the Careers have been trained in this, and...

No. I can't allow myself to think this way. My father once said, "You only accomplish what you believe you can accomplish." Of course, I can probably think of a few counter-examples, but his point was that you won't make it if you don't believe you can. But it's hard to believe in yourself when you have a one out of twenty-four chance of getting out. Then again, I had a one out of a couple thousand chance of getting Reaped, so it could happen again. But for both to happen, I would have to multiply the odds and...

Isn't math supposed to be helpful? It's definitely not doing a good job right now. I close my eyes and think of my family. I won't ever see...

No. I will. I must. I can't let them see me being gutted on mandatory viewing. I won't let it happen. I can't bear for them to have to see that. I have to make it out. I remember another one of my father words. "Don't focus on what you don't have; focus on what you have."

Don't focus on what you don't have. Don't focus on the odds. Don't focus on the Careers. I look around the room. Focus on...

The pink bunny slippers?

I laugh. The thought somehow strikes me as funny, and I laugh and laugh. I collapse on my bed in laughter. After all the crying and the worrying, man does it feel good to laugh. I hear a sharp knock on the door, and I sit straight up.

"Yes?" I say. Our escort Valencia's high voice squeaks in reply.

"It's time for dinner, hon."

"Oh, okay."

Still smiling, I open the door and enter the hallway, where Valencia and Demetria are standing. The latter looks at me like I'm insane.

"What? My laughing?" I say, "Why not? You should try it sometimes." She keeps that look on her face. Maybe I am a little crazy.

Our escort leads us down the corridor and into the dining car, where Brandon and Zea, our mentors, are already waiting. Brandon is wearing his signature frown, but Zea has a warm smile on her face.

"C'mon. I'm pretty sure you won't mind the eating here," she says. I smile back and sit, but Demetria cautiously takes a seat. Even when she does sit down, she continues to fidget and play with the edge of the tablecloth.

"Nervous?" I ask.

"Huh? Yeah," she almost whispers.

"Hey relax," I say, "They wouldn't poison the food."

"W-what?" Shoot. Me and my big mouth. I'm sure that totally helped.

"Sorry. I mean that they wouldn't poison us. I mean really, do you think they go to all that trouble?" I smile. "Besides, I'm sure that Valencia here couldn't bear to go back to our 'horrid, dirty District,' " I say, doing my best impression of our now-horrified escort. She makes a weak effort at a smile. Oh well, that's an improvement.

"So, you two ready to start this long process?" Brandon asks, his voice devoid of any encouragement. He pretty much sounds like a dead man talking with his almost monotone voice. Man, is everyone depressed around here? Then again, this train is headed for slaughter, so I'm probably the weird one.

"Sure, why not," I say, "How do we start." He raises an eyebrow.

"You've got some enthusiasm, boy," he says, "That's something new. So let me start with you on basic strategy."

"Are you two together or separate?" Zea interrupts.

I look at Demetria, who seems to shrink back.

"Together," I say. Demetria seems almost horrified. My big mouth again.

"Okay, good. Now let's begin. Brandon?"

The servants choose that moment to enter with the food, and my jaw drops when I see the platters and platters of food. So much. I never considered myself poor, but this... this makes the entire District Nine seem penniless. I have a sudden urge to try everything, and strategy is quickly forgotten. As soon as the platter touches the table, I'm on it. I'm a few bites in when I realize that Demetria is only staring at the food. So Brandon looks and sounds dead, and Demetria has given up. Well, I've gotta fix that.

"Here," I say, placing a roll on her plate, "You've gotta eat, y'know."

She does eventually start eating, and when she starts, she's on a roll. Both figuratively and literally. She loves those rolls. I know I should stop eating, but it's just so good. Another bite won't hurt...

Pretty soon, I'm way too full, and I'm starting to feel sick. Brandon tells the servants to take the food away, just to keep us from eating more.

"The first thing we gotta do is develop an angle for you," Brandon says, "Boy, you're with me. Zea'll get Demetria."

"I thought we were working together," I say.

"We are," Zea explains, "But you both'll still have a primary mentor. Now, we need to develop angles. I'm pretty sure we know what'll work for you, Emmer." I smile.

"So we're working with this nice sunny personality of mine?"

"Yes. But Demetria, you've gotta try harder," she coaxes.

"But I'm...I'n not really that good...at...at any of this crowd-pleasing stuff," Demetria says, barely above a whisper. She doesn't even look into Zea's eyes.

"You'll have to do it somehow," Zea persists.

"C- Can I tell you, um, maybe, um, tomorrow?"

"Sure, sure. You can tell me tomorrow."

We break soon after that, and Demetria quickly leaves the room, still nervous and worried. Maybe I can help. I follow her out. Halfway to our rooms, she turns around, startled. She looks tired. She looks frustrated. But most of all, she looks... scared.

"I know what you're doing," she says, "Please stop."

"What?"

"Please don't do this to me!" she begs, "Don't get all friendly when you just want me dead!"

"What? No! I'm not trying to do that at all!"

"Yes you are!" she cries, tears starting to form in her eyes, "You're trying to live! I know you are!"

"Umm... Yeah. Duh. Isn't that the point?"

"Then you're trying to kill me. Face it Emmer. Stop lying to yourself!" she pleads, "Only one of us can make it out! We can't win this! Both ways we lose! If you want to win, you want me dead!"

She turns back around and flees down the hall. I stand there, staring at her, dumbstruck. Only one makes it out. One. I can't ask for more. But me winning means her dying. But I can't kill her. Can I?

As I lie in bed, the question echos in my skull.

Could I kill her?

 **A/N Any thoughts on the Emmer/Demetria relationship? How do you think it'll develop? What do you think of them? Tell us in the reviews!**


	5. Chapter 5

_**Lucretia Carnell 17**_  
 _ **D2 F**_

I stare at the blank, closed sky and think. Whatever happened in the past couple of days happened way to fast. But I love it. I volunteered! The thought lightens my face with a lifting grace, and I can tell even though my surroundings are dark. Ahh... I can't even get myself to think. Here I am, about to sleep in the Capitol. This is just so exhilarating.  
After what I believe is an hour, I throw off my bed sheets and open my door. It won't hurt just to explore, will it? I creep outside my bedroom and find myself in a bright, unique landscape with sparkling chandeliers and a wooden table holding bright yellow chairs. There sits a blue sofa enclosed upon a round glass table, and on the wall lies a huge flat screen television. The flooring is marble with soft carpet planted firmly and comfortably on its smooth surface, tickling my toes. I sink a huge gust of air into my nose and smile. Lavender.  
I'm not used to luxurious smells that are home in the Capitol. It's usually just a metal breeze which takes some getting used to. I'm also allergic to all of the dust that flies into my eyes when I walk on the streets in District 2. I'm not very used to that.  
I prop on the sofa, stretch out my exhausted legs, and turn on the TV, unsure of what to expect.  
It's President Snow, inviting me to recap on all of the Reapings that had occurred today from each district. Oh! I continue watching.  
As my eyes spectate the different people walking on and off the podiums with different expressions and different things to say, I compile a mental list to keep track on who to mainly focus on in these Games. I then lose track when somebody taps on my shoulder, startling me, and I jolt up.  
"Ajax!"  
He laughs and looks at me. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you."  
We sit down on the sofa and continue watching the screen. I have to start it all over so he can catch up with me.  
"We're allying with the other Careers, right?" Ajax asks me. I nod.  
We watch the play lists of the other tributes and discuss some side notes in which I assure to stick into my mind.  
"That District One guy seems tough."  
"Who, Cartier?"  
"Yeah."  
"But that girl doesn't seem like she knows much of what she's doing. I dunno, maybe it's just me." Ajax says.  
"I see what you mean, but she looks pretty determined."  
Watching myself on the television makes me feel a) confident, b) anxious, and c) excited. Seeing myself on that screen makes me feel so special and important, as if after so long I finally reached that goal in life. To glorify myself and my parents, to represent the beauty of myself into these Games, and to bring pride to my district. But, of course, I do have that fear of messing up and throwing all of that away. It's like a math problem.. You show your work, complete the question after each step, but with one simple mistake, your whole answer is incorrect.  
Ajax and I laugh after seeing one another when it's our district's turn. We did pretty well when volunteering, I would have to say; I mean, Ajax didn't even hear the tribute's name before shouting, "I volunteer as tribute!" That was hilarious.  
"How much do you want to bet District 3 will be wiped out in the bloodbath?" Ajax asks.  
"My life. Nobody even cares about 3, anyway."  
We laugh, but at the same time I feel pretty guilty. I mean, I do have some friends up in Three. We're not too close to one another or anything, but trashing their district like that makes me feel a bit uncomfortable.  
"District 4 seems cunning." Ajax comments.  
"Yeah. Ray and Marlena will probably make a good team." I keep my eyes glued to the screen, scared to blink.  
"We probably shouldn't worry about the rest. I mean all the other districts like 12 and whatever will probably be gone by the first night, so we should be good."  
"Yeah, but some people actually seem serious. Like that guy from District 9?" I point out.  
"Well his partner will probably slow him down."  
I shrug. "What about those from 7? 10?"  
"Come on, Lucretia. You really think we can't take these people?" Ajax doesn't seem scared at all about this whole thing.  
"I don't know, I just don't want to die. Or to be the one that has to kill you."  
"Yeah... Same here. But it is what it is. Whatever happens, happens."  
"I guess so." I look down.  
Ajax pats me on the back. "Hey, it's okay. It's going to be fun. We can play games, talk, all that jazz."  
"So are you, like, actually excited to be killing people and stuff? You're not scared?"  
"Are you?"  
I don't respond. Am I?  
"Lucretia?"  
I shake my head and take a deep breath. "I'm going to bed. Good night."

 **A/N: Hey, Nadinelikesbooks here! So, what did you guys think? I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I mainly stressed to give you a sort of visual on how the other tributes appear to Lucretia and Ajax, which can reflect on the way they act in the Games. But I don't know! Maybe their assumptions will be incorrect ... *gasp* ... Stay tuned, and please don't forget to favorite, follow, review, and let us know what you think so far about our collab!:-) Thanks so much!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Sophie (shadowhunter824) here. So sorry for the late update! I've been busy like crazy last week. Here is the next chapter, enjoy! :)**

 _ **Demetria Milford (15)**_

 _ **Female D9**_

My first night in the Capitol was flattering. The fluffy bed sheets with the softest pillow I've ever had in my life. That won't last, though. I don't understand what the point of spoiling us tributes before the games is. I will not fall for it. This is stupid. Keeping my chin up high is important, I can't forget what I'm here for. I'm here to try, at least try to survive. I can't leave my family alone. They don't depend on me, but I know I'm important to them.

It's noon, and my prep team is here. I'm actually really nervous to meet them. One thing I can't stand is being dressed in a ridiculous outfit. My stylist's name is Edelwyse. I scrutinize her from head to toe. Literally, she's the most absurd human I've ever seen in my life. Edelwyse does not suit her; she has pale dyed orange skin and freakishly curly purple hair piled on top of her head. She's also got the weirdest eyelashes pointing towards me. Her piercing blue eyes stare at me. Immediately you can tell she's disappointed with what she's got to play with this year. I look down at my toes in embarrassment. Realizing how she made me feel, she quickly plastered on a smile for me. I can't really tell if it's genuine or not. She stuck her hand out to me.

"Hi, I'm Edelwyse."

"Demetria, pleased to meet you." I reply; manners are important.

She takes a good look at me and immediately starts babbling to the other prep team members. Presumably about what they're going to do to "fix" me. I stand awkwardly while she continues to talk. Then, I see Emmer strolling towards my direction. Excusing myself, I speed walk to the nearest bathroom. A hand catches my arm before I can go any further. I turn around and look down, knowing Emmer caught me this time. Great, now how do I explain myself?

"Why are you always avoiding me?" Emmer asks.

"Um, I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't. Wherever I appear, you disappear."

"Haha, what a coincidence…"I stammer back. Smooth.

"Are you still mad about yesterday? If so, I'm sorry."

 _Don't fall for it Demetria. He's faking it. Trust no one._ I think to myself.

"Uh sure but can you excuse me I need to head to the bathroom." I reply.

He releases me and leaves. I'm pretty sure he's mad at me now. I wish life could be like the good old days. I really don't want to be so rude and cold, it pains me. But I can't trust anyone. What if they betray me?

It's been a couple of hours, and I'm prepped for the chariot rides. Only several more minutes until it starts. I'm dressed in a golden dress, classic. My hair is braided so it looks like wheat stalks. Everything about me is golden. They even put golden makeup on me and made me wear a crown of braided stalks of wheat. Emmer is wearing a yellow-golden suit, and other things I don't know how to describe. Either way, it's obscure. Our last minutes are up. Emmer and I step onto the chariot. He smiles at me, and I can't help but smile back. How can he be so nice? After everything I did to him… he still manages to be so nice to me. Am I wrong about him? Is he trustworthy?

As the horses begin to trot, I've decided. Keep my chin up high, be confident. I see the Careers receive their usual amount of outrageous applause. Honestly, their costumes look hilarious. Both members wearing hot pink feathery attire. What does that even represent? I take another look at the other tributes. They all look so much better than me. Any one of them can probably kill me. Our ride goes all through the city where screaming fans are awaiting. They've got the weirdest sense of fashion. It's also sickening how spoiled they are. We end up in the City Circle. I'm still thinking about how I've been treating Emmer and whether I should trust him.

My thoughts are interrupted when the horses halt to a stop and President Snow steps up on the podium. He gives his usual speech about welcoming the victors and all the nonsense I could care less about. Suddenly, I'm overcome with hatred for Snow. Why are these people cheering? How can one be so cruel as to enjoy the gruesome death of others? I'm repulsed by these people. I should be at home right now, with my family. It's so unfair. Is it impossible to have a happy life?

 **A/N: What did you think? Sorry if it's a bit short. I hope you favorite/follow/review! Any criticism or tips on writing is gladly appreciated!  
**

 **I would also like to thank santiago. poncini20 and SibunaMockingjay for being such consistent followers/reviewers! Your reviews really make my day :)**


	7. Chapter 7

_**Lucretia Carnell**_

 _ **D2 Female (17)**_

Here it is; the first day of training.  
Even the air smells different. I take in a huge, smooth gust of thick air and exhale at the scent of paint and roses. After being reminded multiple times by my escort, I get dressed and prepare myself for this big, exuberant day.  
I am first greeted by Ajax, who is waiting outside my room when I shut the dark spruce door.  
"Lucretia, hey,"  
"Oh. Hi,"  
That pretty much wraps up our conversation for the next hour. He offers me a soft smile and we are lead down a passageway into a small bus. "This is huge," I almost whisper to myself. Then arrives my mentor, Lyme Winston, with a large sandwich resting between her scrawny fingers. Her hair is a short, pumpkin like color which shines and reflects across her small, grass eyes. She has a few wrinkles, mainly small creases on her forehead and cheekbones, and wears a plain expression on her face as she props herself amongst a firm chair.  
"Guys. Today is one of the most important days before the Game Day. You understand me?" She speaks in a cheeky attitude with a hint of sophistication echoing from her voice.

Ajax and I nod.

"Good," she says. "I don't want any issues here. You make one mistake, bam, you're out. And don't fool yourself, either. I know this is training and all, but you're also making an expression. Show the people what you can do, you hear?" She sounds extremely serious and clear, as if she's been practicing to say this over and over again. All Ajax and I do once again is nod, then I speak up.  
"Will we get to meet the other Careers?"

"Hey. I'm Ray, this is Marlena."  
I wave and smile. They look like they know what they're doing, even though I haven't even seen them train yet. I call out Ajax's name and he leads himself towards my voice. "Whaddya think of this place?" He asks me. I shrug and grin. "Ha, maybe dark? Smells kinda funny. These black walls are driving me crazy."

"This building gives me a sudden urge to just take off my shoes."  
We laugh, and I introduce Ajax to Ray and Marlena, the two tributes representing District 4. I glance around the dank, clustered training building with multiple sections and rooms. I see tributes from each district either talking, training, crying, or just not doing anything. Ray, Marlena, Ajax and I chat in section 1A, the room we met up in when we arrived. Then, suddenly, two other tributes appear, the male muscular, the lady rather skinny. "Ray! Marlena!" The girl exclaims with a laugh. "We've been all over the place looking for you guys."  
Marlena smiles and responds, "Hey Angelica, Cartier. This is Ajax and this is Lucretia."  
"From 2," Ray picks up.  
"Hi," Cartier speaks with a low tone. "We're from 1."  
I nod, and Ajax smiles. How had they already known each other? This question strikes me more than it should.  
"Wooh!

United Careers!" Cartier breaks the silence. The group laughs and we discuss our strengths, weaknesses, and how we can work as a team. I seem to be liking these people. I'm looking forward to being in the Games with them, despite our weaknesses or possible unfriendly attitudes. But it's not like I trust anyone more than Ajax. I might not even trust anyone other than him, honestly.  
"Guys!" Cartier says.  
"Yeah?" We all respond in sync.  
"Let's play a game."  
"What type of game?" I ask.

Cartier looks around the training center and forms a sort of side smile.

"Angelica. I dare you to mess with that District 8 kid."  
I can almost hear Angelica gasp. "But... He's huge!"  
"He can't kill you until two weeks. Now go do it," we laugh. Angelica sighs and walks up to the District 8 boy. "I bet I can beat you at that," she says, pointing to a pair of ropes attached to a rock climbing wall.  
"Yeah right," the boy laughs.  
"Try me."  
The boy from 8 shrugs and walks to the rock wall, attaching a rope to his harness. Angelica does the same. And they're off. I'm surprised to see how much muscle Angelica has. She already is halfway after merely thirty seconds, the boy from 8 still trailing behind her. She then reaches the top, rings the bell, and jumps down, the rope supporting her. As the boy follows, he wipes sweat from his forehead and thrusts the rope off his harness.  
"I told you I could beat you," Angelica says, laughing and detaching the rope.  
Cartier, Ray, Marlena, and even Ajax smirk. I stay silent.  
"Whatever, blondie. You just wasted my time," the boy says, about to take off.  
"It's gonna waste my time having to kill you." Angelica says.  
"What did you just say?" The boy's face becomes bright red, and honestly, I can almost see steam coming from his ears.  
"Yeah. I'm going to kill you."  
"I can kill you right now if I have to."  
"Oh please."  
"Don't threaten me!"  
As tension rises up, Angelica laughs it off and walks back to our group. "That was so funny!"  
Even I laugh. "Did you see the look on his face?"  
Marlena joins in. "Priceless."  
We laugh once more, and Ajax says, "Lucretia, give me someone to mess with." I stop laughing and look at him. "Um, Ajax, I don't think that would be a good ide-"  
"Oh c'mon!" Rays says. "That was hilarious, what Angelica did. Nice work,"  
"Thanks," she smirks.  
I shrug and say, "I guess it'll be kinda funny. But I don't want anyone getting hurt."  
"My goodness Lucretia. You're acting like my mom," says Ajax. "Actually, not even my mom says stuff like that."  
I roll my eyes. "Fine."  
"Yes!"

Ray exclaims. "Look at that girl over there by the benches," I look over his collar. District 9. She looks so scared, and confused.  
"Ha! She looks like she's going to puke!" Angelica squeals.  
Ajax grabs his sword and confidently struts to the girl. I glance over at the tribute list hanging below the ceiling, and spot her face. Demetria Milford, District 9, it states. He's not going to kill her, is he?  
Once he approaches the girl, he pushes her off the fence, and she falls on the floor, immediately standing up. She turns around and her hazel eyes widen at the sight of Ajax's sword.  
"Are you actually thinking of killing me?" The girl says, her voice quiet yet clear.  
Ajax swings his sword to barely miss Demetria's chest. She backs away at this motion and gasps, saying, "What are you doing?"

Ajax laughs and swings his sword near her, then he sticks his foot out so she tumbles and falls to the ground once again. I gasp. He can't kill her yet. But the rest of the Careers are dying of laughter. I pretend to join in, still keeping an eye out for Ajax.  
"Stop that!" Demetria yells, still on the floor, and pushes at Ajax's legs. He almost falls and actually drops his sword. Then, out of nowhere, a boy, fair and tall, runs up to Ajax and Demetria. I recall from the tribute list that he is Emmer Hawes, Demetria's district partner.  
"What do you think you're doing?" He pushes Ajax, who stumbles back and picks up his sword, bringing it to the boy's neck. The tip of if barely touches his chin as Emmer's eyes widen. "You can't kill me."  
"Not yet."  
Emmer slowly backs away from the threat, and helps Demetria stand up. Her face is cherry red, and she sighs, saying, "You didn't have to do that, you know."  
I half expect Ajax to give up and come back, but he stays there with his feet planted to the ground.

"Did your little friend help you up? That's cute. Hopefully you'll die together."  
"What are you even doing here?" Emmer says to Ajax.  
"Just wanted to warm you guys up," Ajax says.  
"We don't need your help," Demetria speaks up.  
"Maybe you should work on your balance. And you," Ajax says, sticking his finger in Emmer's chest, "work on keeping your mouth shut. Got it?"  
At that, Demetria steps on Ajax's foot with so much force that he groans in pain. I can tell he's frustrated, and he lifts his sword. I don't think this is a threat anymore. I run up to the three tributes and thrust the sword out of Ajax's hand. "What do you think you're doing?" I shout to him, forgetting to drop the sword. Emmer and Demetria's eyes are wide, and I can tell they are too shocked to move.  
"Calm down, Lucretia."  
"You were about to kill them!"  
He rolls his eyes. "They think they can treat me like that. Who do you think you are?" He asks, looking directly at Emmer. Emmer lifts his hands up and Demetria almost smiles.  
"Just leave them alone. You were going to do something stupid," I force him back to the group of

Careers, who too stand there in shock. I hand Ajax the sword and look back at Demetria and Emmer. They say a few words, then split, probably walking back to wherever they came from.  
"I can't wait to kill them," Ajax says with rage.  
"Don't worry, you'll have all the time in the world in two weeks," I say.  
Cartier then speaks up. "That was memorable. Let's go train, I guess."  
The Careers and I nod in agreement, and I walk to the spear throwing section. I take a deep breath and shoot for the target. As it shoots straight through the middle, I smile confidently.  
It's time to fight.

 **AN:**

 **Hey guys! nadinelikesbooks here! So what'd you think? We hope you're liking our collab so far! Please favorite, review, and follow for new updates! Thank you so much for reading and we hope you're looking forward to more chapters in the future!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N Hello! Welcome to the next chapter! Thank you to santiago. poncini and SibunaMockingjay for reviewing this story.**

 **Let's get going**

 _ **Emmer Hawes, District Nine Male**_

"So..." Demetria asks, "What do we do now? We need some weapon skills, but..."

"But the Careers are at all the useful ones," I finish. "And of course Ajax has to be at the knives."

"So we're definitely going there."

It's been a full day since the incident. Now that I think back on it, I feel almost stupid. What was I thinking, stepping in on Ajax? He could snap my neck with his bare hands, and I wouldn't stand a chance. But somehow, I did what I did, and here I am today, still alive. It's not completely bad, I guess. Demetria seems to trust me, now that she gets that I'm not trying to kill her. We've been working together today.

I watch Ajax adeptly handling the knives, scaring the little girl from Twelve. It's almost like yesterday, except that no one steps in for her. Nearby, a few stations down, Sawyer, the guy from Seven, is hurling axes into the target, not missing a single one.

The lunch bell rings, and we all go to the cafeteria. Like yesterday, a buffet table has been set up, and all the foods are new.

"I didn't know that there were so many kinds of food," Demetria marvels.

"Me too."

We get our food, but just like yesterday, the Careers cut in and out of the line, taking whatever they want. I feel my face flush red with annoyance. What makes them think they rule the place?

"They're trained," Demetria says.

"Huh?" Demetria?

"You were mumbling. Something about annoying people that pretend they rule the place."

"Oh, sorry." I smile sheepishly. After we reach the end of the line, we sit in the corner and eat.

"What do you think about getting more allies?" I ask.

"No!" she immediately blurts, "I mean, I think it's a horrible idea."

"Why not?"

"I don't think we can trust people. What if they kill us in our sleep? Like that Three girl?"

"I didn't mean everyone. I just meant people like... Sawyer."

She looks at me like I'm insane.

"What? He seems like a nice guy," I say.

"Seems. That's what I mean. You don't KNOW anything. You don't know if you can trust him. To be honest, I'm still trying to decide how much I can trust you."

"Okay," I say, "But I'll go talk to him."

I get up and walk over to where's he's sitting and sit down across from him.

"Hey," I say.

"Hey," he replies. We settle into an awkward silence.

"Well...umm," I start, "Nice axe skills."

He bursts out laughing. Out of the corner of my eye, I see some heads turning.

"What do you think?" he says, "I've grown up with one."

"True, true."

"So what'd you come here for?"

"I was just wondering if, you know, you'd like to team up?"

His expression falls. "Look man, I'd really like to, but I can't. I've gotten too much attention from the Careers. An alliance could kill both me and you. I don't wanna put anyone else in danger's way."

"Yeah, I get it. I really respect that; not many people think that way in a place like this."

"Hey, somebody's gotta do it."

I stand up. "I guess... I'll be seeing you."

"Good luck."

I go back to Demetria. "Did you hear all that?" I ask.

"Yes," she says.

"See? He's a decent guy."

"True. That's why I'm glad we aren't allied. We won't have to kill him."

I eat in silence, pondering this. Pretty soon, the bell rings to end lunch, and my partner and I have no idea what to do.

"Maybe the knots?" I suggest.

"When would we need to know that?" she asks.

"I don't know... Do you have any other suggestions?"

"I guess not..."

We do end up doing the knots. Unsurprisingly, Demetria is way better than I am. My hands are used to working in fields and swinging scythes, not handling rope. On the other hand, Demetria...

"I sew sometimes, and I used to knit," she tells me. That explains a lot.

"Then lucky you. My fingers can't get around these ropes," I say. I make another turn, and the knot in my hand falls apart. "See?"

Demetria laughs, but I also hear another girl laughing. I turn around, try to see who it is. I come face to face with the girl from Ten.

"It's not your fingers" she says, "You're moving your hands wrong." Her voice is soft and cheery.

I try again, and she laughs her beautiful laugh when I fail. I notice Demetria pursing her lips.

"So, what's your name?" I ask.

"Rosalie. I'm from Ten," she answers, "How about you?" Her eyes are sparkling.

"Oh, I'm Emmer," I say, "From Nine. This is Demetria, my District partner."

She giggles. I notice that she flips her golden her hair when she laughs. Why do I notice these things? "Emmer. It sounds good. It's nice to meet you."

"Umm... Yeah... It's nice to meet you too... Yeah," I manage to get out. What's wrong with me? I never have problems with words. I see her walk away.

"Hey!" I call, "Would you like to.. Um.. Join us?"

"Are you sure," she says, "Demetria doesn't seem to be open to the idea."

"Don't worry about it."

"Sure?"

"Sure."

She comes back.

"You know," Rosalie says, "You're from Nine, right? Can you use a scythe?"

"Well..." I say, "Yeah, I can."

"Do you mind showing me?"

Demetria interrupts. "Emmer, Brandon told you to stay away from the scythes."

"Oh really?" Rosalie says, "If you were told not to, then its okay if you don't..."

"Umm..." I say, try to decide, "I guess... a little won't hurt. Besides, you need to know who you're allying with."

I step over to the scythes and ask for an opponent, who quickly comes forward. He's not using a real spear, so this can't hurt, both literally and figuratively. He jabs. I dodge. I swing. He blocks. This is pretty much all we do until he thrusts too far in an effort to end this, and he exposes his chest. I swing, and I have won. I walk back to the girls, who were watching from the knots.

"Wow," Rosalie says, "Should I be scared?". She twirls her wavy golden blonde hair.

"I hope not," I say.

The bell rings to signal the end of the day.

"We have to go," Demetria says, making her disapproval obvious, "Goodbye."

"Bye," I call to Rosalie as my partner and I go to the elevators. She waves and goes to find her District partner. I find myself staring at her shrinking figure as the the elevator doors close.

 **A/N So... Whaddya think? Is Rosalie purposely trying to "attract" Emmer? Or is it unintentional? Is Demetria right in being suspicious? Or is she overreacting?**

 **The next chapter will be Demetria!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Sophie (shadowhunter824) here! Glad to present another chapter. Any tips or criticism is gladly appreciated (through PM or review, either one is fine). Hope you enjoy! :)**

 ** _Demetria Milford_**

 ** _D9 Female (15)_**

At what seems like the middle of an intense training session, the bell rings, signifying the end of Training day two. The horrid sound screeches in my ears. I hate the sound of ringing bells. Everyone drops what they're doing to meet with their groups. I leave with Emmer. I've decided to trust him, and only him. Ever since he stood up for me; how can I still have distrust for him? He clearly has no evil intentions. I notice him looking after Rosalie as she leaves. Oh no. He can't be serious about allying with her, can he? Something about her gives me an uneasy feeling. I won't trust her. Not for a second. I'm fine with only Emmer as an ally. I can't let her join. I realize I've been left behind, so I catch up quickly with everyone piling up at the elevators.

We are the last ones to go on an elevator. I did my best to get my own, or one with just Emmer. I feel awkward with strangers. As the elevator shoots up to our floor, I decide to tell Emmer how I feel.

"I don't like the idea of Rosalie." I mumble.

"What? I can't hear you." Emmer says back.

"I don't like the idea of having Rosalie as an ally. She could backstab us." I say louder this time.

Emmer just laughs. Laughs.

"Come on Demetria, loosen up a bit. Not everyone is bloodthirsty. I'm pretty sure Rosalie just wants to survive and make allies. She really doesn't seem like one to backstab. Don't worry so much. Plus, three heads is better than two. An extra ally won't hurt"

I bet he's just mesmerized by her decent looks and fake personality.

"Sure, keep saying that. You'll see, I'm right. You can't trust ANYONE in these wicked games! Ugh, what if she secretly paired with the careers? What if she's actually really skilled? What if she–"

"Is that a white hair? Demetria I think I see a white hair!"

"WHAT?" I whirl around to use the glass windows as a mirror.

"Calm down! I was just showing you how stressed you are. You can't even take a joke anymore?" he says just as the elevator doors open.

It's true. I really do need to calm down. If I want to have any chance of winning, I need to stop worrying so much. It just doesn't seem possible, though. I've always been a worried freak. Now it's a lot worse. I stalk my way to dinner. Edelwyse, Zea, Brandon, and Valencia are already sitting at the table, making us look like the late ones. Awkwardly, I sit, trying to avoid eye contact with Emmer. I realized he was right, so that's embarrassing. As we begin eating, Valencia tries to start a conversation.

"How was training? Make any allies?" she asks.

"Um, not really" I say.

Emmer cuts in. "Yes, her name is Rosalie. You know her? She's the District 10 female."

"Interesting choice. She doesn't seem very skilled though." Brandon says, looking slightly bored.

"Now, I think they can make their own choices, Brandon." Zea says and smiles warmly at us.

Emmer starts talking about how he and Rosalie met in training today, what they talked about, what they did… blah blah blah. I couldn't take it anymore, so I interrupt.

"You need to be careful. Don't fall into her trap, she's a player you know?" I say.

"What do you have against her? What did she ever do to you?"

Uh oh, Emmer's getting fed up.

"Did you not see how she was flirting with literally every other guy in the room? She isn't trustworthy."

He looks surprised. Good. They need to know what she's really like.

"Well, I can't really blame her. She needs allies. She wants to survive; I can understand and respect that."

It takes everything to not respond sarcastically to that. I don't say anything for the remainder of the meal. I can't say anything… I'll have to start letting down my guard. Rosalie doesn't seem that smart, or skilled. It should be okay, right? Like Emmer said, one extra ally shouldn't hurt. I finish my food and retreat back to my room, where I can be alone.

After a nice, warm shower, I settle into my bed. It's been a long day, and all I want to do is rest. Unfortunately, it isn't even 8pm yet. I flip the television on to see what's airing. I resolve to a cooking show hosted by a lady with beet red, puffy hair. Just as I was getting bored, I hear a knock on the door. It's Emmer.

"Hi. I just need to talk to you really quick. Won't even take five minutes."

"Okay, sure, what's wrong?"

He shifts uncomfortably and answers, "Are you sure Rosalie was flirting with everyone?"

"I'm sure." I reply.

"I guess if you insist, we don't have to have her as an ally." He sighs.

I feel really guilty. She can't be that bad. Emmer seems to have really wanted another ally. I'll go with it. I need to loosen up, and another friend couldn't hurt. I still won't trust her though. I've made my decision.

"Alright, I'm fine with having Rosalie. But if she turns on us, I get to say 'I told you so!'", I try to joke.

Emmer grins. "Great! I'll see you tomorrow, then!"

"Bye," I say back.

The door closes behind him. I can finally sleep, now that this weight has been lifted off my chest. My final thoughts before drifting to sleep were about whether I made the right decision or not.

 **A/N: I would like to thank all my lovely reviewers, and give a shoutout to the two most constant ones: santiago. poncini20 and SibunaMockingjay. Thanks for all your support!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey guys! I am so sorry for the late post, I was just extremely busy. Please favorite, follow, and maybe give us some reviews? Thanks so much! I hope you enjoy this chapter! -nadinelikesbooks**

 ** _Lucretia Carnell (17) D2 F_**

I wake up the next day, startled by the bell motioning me to breakfast. I am then greeted by Ajax, like always, with a bright smile planted on his symmetrical face. "You ready for training today?" He asks me, and I try my best to nod confidently. Ajax is my best friend, but I dread of him knowing how desperately nervous I am on the inside. I don't want to seem weak in front of him. We're competing, after all.

"I'm not scared either," Ajax cracks his knuckles, "nuh uh. We're gonna do great," he slaps my back a little too hard, but I can tell by his trembling fingers and reddening face that he is just as nervous as I am.

We reach the training center, and are led through multiple passageways underground until we reach a small, empty metallic compartment with two smooth, grey benches. The room smells of cleaning supplies, and perched upon a relatively big steel door are words engraved:

DISTRICT 2

Ajax and I are left alone, each one of us sitting on a bench. "Man, the judges are gonna love me," Ajax's face brightens.

I laugh a little. "You're not nervous?"

He immediately responds. "Are you?"

I hesitate to speak, then it al just pours out of me. "Am I nervous?" I give a loud harf. "Oh please. I've been practicing for years. I've been doing great for years. Psh... of course I'm not nervous about the day all of that training is actually worth it. Nah, I'm gonna do fine. It's not like it matters anyway, right?"

"Calm yourself, Lucretia. You're amazing with that spear. I've never seen anyone as good as you. Nothing can stop you, not even a group of gamemakers in a cold metal room judging every step you make. You were born for this."

I take in his words, and for a split second, I actually believe him. I am pretty good, aren't I? I shouldn't be second guessing my talent today, the one day it'll all pay off. If anything, I should be embracing how amazing I am. I smile. "Thanks Ajax." He smiles and we engage into a conversation about types of flooring.

"… I mean this, it just makes my shoes so happy," Ajax says brightly.

"Ha. Kinda freaks me out a bit, I dunno. You can see the reflection of your own feet. Creepy."

"My feet are so handsome. They love looking at themselves in the mirror."

I smirk. I love talking to Ajax; he can make me forget about anything bugging me, even with just a simple laugh.

But all that fear creeps back inside of me like a snake slithering towards its prey when the intercom speaks aloud, "Lucretia Carnell, District 2."

"Good luck," Ajax says.

"You too."

Beyond the large steel door is a massive rectangular room filled with targets and weapons, gamemakers chatting behind a glass wall in the upper right corner and a large feast directed towards them. Mmm. Rotisserie chicken, asparagus, brown and white rice, and so much more, causing me to lick my lips, my stomach rumbling.

"Ah, District 2," one of the men says. I smile proudly, and strut to the single spear resting on a large table neighboring other weapons in the middle of the room. My fingers slowly caress the smoothly embedded metallic cylinder, and the skinny surface perfectly fits between my fingers when I lift it from the table, setting it free.

I feel free.

I close my eyes and picture myself in my room, my home, just doing another simple practice throw.

That's when the arrow shoots from my hand and with a loud thump, slams the deadly discrete bullseye right in the middle of the target. My heart skips a beat. I can hear someone in the audience clap.

I reach for the spear and throw it again. And again. Again and again and again. They all sharply hit the middle with a flawless shot.

Soon, after what felt like 5 minutes, my time is up. I clap my hands together with triumph and confidently wave to the gamemakers. "Thank you!" I say, and they return the gesture. I can feel the grimace spread across my face as the sound of my shoes clicking against the ground as I leave echoes throughout the space behind me.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Demetria Milford (15)**_

 _ **D9 F**_

As I step out of the shower, the cold, crisp, air hits my skin. I wrap myself in a soft towel quickly. Today is interview day, the last day before I die. It's breaking dawn, and I'm not a morning person. I forced myself to wake up and see the Capitol before everyone has woken up. It's so quiet, peaceful, and endearing. I wonder what Panem was like centuries ago. I would never admit it, but the Capitol is actually a pretty enjoyable place. It's luxurious, somewhere I think Millie would've enjoyed exploring. No. I can't think this way. The Capitol tore me away from home. It deserves my hate. Thinking about them hurts. It pains me to know I'll never see them again. It isn't my low self-confidence; it's called acceptance. I'm not a rebel. I know this is how it works. I honestly don't think I'll even make it past the bloodbath. If I do, I'll consider myself unlucky to have to suffer longer.

My thoughts trailed further, and I fell asleep again. I wake up an about hour later feeling quite imprudent. I have the weirdest thoughts early in the morning. I remember that I have Emmer and Rosalie as allies, and I feel a lot better. I won't let my guard down on Rosalie, but I'll give her a chance, for Emmer. The time is approaching breakfast, so I dress quickly and head to the table. Luckily, I'm not late. Emmer isn't there yet, and neither is Valencia. I decide to eat quickly before anyone arrives, so I can have the rest of the free time to myself. As I'm attempting to shovel food into my mouth, Valencia seats herself at the table. Emmer follows not long after. So much for eating quickly.

"Demetria! Today's the big day! We're going to make you so pretty. You're going to flatter the audience! Remember, be polite and lovable! You need sponsors and all the love you can get." Valencia gushes.

"Do I have to be fake like everyone else?" I ask.

"Fake? How? Everyone is not fake!" she insists.

"Well, you can count on me to slip up." I retort.

Her face softens, "Demetria it's okay, you don't have to if you don't want. I'm just trying to help."

Valencia looks down. She really liked me apparently, and doesn't want to see me leave. Or, should I say die. I'm scared of dying. I fear death. I don't know what to do. The worst part is, if I die, I also hurt the ones who love me. I hate Snow. I don't care how many times I have to clarify that. He ruined my life. I finish breakfast and head back up to my room. I flip the TV on and start watching whatever's on. I'm not exactly paying any attention. Instead, I'm fumbling around with my bracelet from Millie and thinking about all the tips Zea gave me. As my mentor, I don't think she did the best job, but she was really caring. She just didn't have much experience, that's all. My thoughts are interrupted when the prep team bursts into my room. I don't even think the word "privacy" is in their vocabulary here in the Capitol. Edelwyse and her assistants tell me to get out of bed so they can start preparing me for the interviews.

Hours of screwing around with my face, hair, and dress later, I was finally good enough to be presented. It's almost time for the interviews. Presently, Valencia is doing practice interviewing with me, in hopes that I won't mess up. I'm doing fine now, but I know I won't be able to contain myself on stage. Though I've never been on a stage, I'm 99% sure I have stage fright. Emmer isn't ready yet. He stumbles down the stairs in a grey tuxedo. I'm wearing a metallic golden dress that falls just below my knees. My eyeshadow is a dark green, to bring out my hazel green eyes. My hair is swept into an intricate braid; I insisted it to be done the way I had it back home when Millie did my hair. Emmer looks at me with a slightly nervous expression. We step into the line-up for interviews. Emmer's look of anxiety freaks me out. I suddenly remember that today is my last day. The last day before my doom. I'm extremely nervous now, more than ever. This could screw up my chances of living to an even smaller percentage. Hyperventilating, I see Angelica step onto stage as the first to be interviewed. D1 female, of course she's wearing a frilly pink dress. She appears as the flirty, sweet girl everyone loves immediately. Even Caesar is captivated. His hair is dyed pine green this year, and he's as cheerful as always. I can't calm myself down. The D5 male turns around and stares at me, which elevates my emotions even higher. The D2 female, Lucretia, is particularly friendly and well liked. Everyone loves her; she's definitely a favorite. She manages to make the audience laugh after almost everything she says. They love her confidence and bravery. You can tell everyone is head over heels for her.

After no time at all, it's Emmer's turn. Timidly, he steps up on stage. He's so amiable and funny. Doesn't slip up once. How does he manage to remain so calm? I wish for nothing but to be him at this moment.

"Hey, it's our last night at the Capitol."

"Yes, I realized, haha. What's wrong? You seem tense."

"Um, I just really need to apologize. You know, for being so inconsiderate towards you. I shouldn't have insisted on having Rosalie as an ally." He says.

"Oh! Absolutely no problem, I thought it was going to be a huge deal! You scared me. I really don't mind having her anymore. I guess she deserves her chance." I reply with a smile.

His face lightens as he responds, "Phew, I finally got that off my back. Alright, so I'll see you tomorrow then. The big day."

"Don't remind me."

 **AN: Final chapter before the games begin! Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed. Please leave a review if you can! :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N Hello! Joseph here! It's time… for launch. The Games are beginning. And in the end… only one will survive. Any predictions?**

 **Also, santiago. poncini20 pointed out that we didn't reveal the Training Scores. That's mainly because the scores were just a formality we had to get over, and it has no real value to the plot**

 _ **District Nine Male, Emmer Hawes, 16 Years Old**_

I roll over in this too-soft bed, but I can't get comfortable. And it isn't the bed. I can see the first rays of light shining from the horizon through my window, and I bury my face in the pillow.

It's Launch Day.

Today, I might die. Demetria might die. Rosalie, her partner Levi, Sawyer, Sonya from Three, everyone else I've gotten to know, any of us, of even all of us, might be dead by the time that sun goes down.

I hear the door being thrown open, and I hear my stylist, Xena, chirp "good morning." I groan and stay where I am. She approaches me with her six-inch nails.

"Fine, fine. I'm getting up," I grumble. I see her smile and leave. I quickly dress myself and follow. Outside, Demetria is standing by the elevator with bags under her eyes.

"You didn't sleep well too," she states.

"Yeah."

"So this is goodbye."

"Yeah, for now. Try and find me at the Cornucopia, and we'll decide where to go from there."

"Okay, I got it. I'm not scheduled to leave for another 10 minutes."

"Okay."

Xena leads me to the roof, where a hovercraft is waiting to pick us up. Once aboard, a woman dressed in white inserts a tracker into my arm. I rub the area and feel a hard bump. Xena tries to get me to eat, but I don't have the appetite. I take a few spoonfuls of scrambled ostrich eggs, but it turns to sawdust in my mouth.

There hovercraft stops, and I'm led into the catacombs underneath the arena. Xena opens a door and enters. She looks around before ordering me to take a shower. Honestly, I don't feel like doing anything right now, but I also don't want to deal with her fingernails. I quietly oblige.

When I finish, she gives me my uniform. It's a waterproof jacket, along with a waterproof pair of pants and a belt. There's a olive green inner shirt, and the boots are made to keep out water. This is gonna be a wet arena. I pray that it doesn't require swimming.

Soon, a robotic voice commands me to step on the pedestal. What if I don't? What if I choose to stay?

"Go," Xena says.

"What if I don't?"

She gets closer to me. "The Capitol sees all," she purrs, "It sees your District, it sees your family, it sees... a pregnant sister-in-law."

I shudder and quickly step onto the cold metal platform.

"5…4…3…2…1…"

"Bye bye," Xena says, smiling. I don't think I've ever hated someone so much.

I'm suddenly plunged into darkness, and though it can't be for more than a few seconds, it feels like forever.

My heart is pumping inside my chest. My hands are jittery with fear. I'm thust into light, and though I can't see, I immediately notice the smell.

It's like... Rotten fish. Spoiling grain. Human and animal waste. I feel the warm, humid air, and there's a slight breeze. My eyes adjust to the light, and I see that we're in a circular clearing in the middle of some chaotic, run-down street market. The Cornucopia sits in the middle, 100 yards from every tribute, and the ground is made of old stone slabs. Green mountains shrouded in mist are in front of me, behind me, and to the left, and the mountains are also filled with weird small hut-like things. The entire market is built into the mountains. On my right side, I can see a natural harbor, opening up to the blue sea.

"Let the 57th Hunger Games begin!"

Claudius Templesmith's voice booms, and the countdown begins. I frantically look for Demetria, and I see that she's seven spaces to my right. I can't see Rosalie, but I see Ajax glaring at Sawyer. He's doomed. I wave at Demetria, and she eventually sees me. I point to a few backpacks, and she nods, also pointing to a scythe nearby. It's a little far for comfort, but if I don't get it, we'll be defenseless. Better defenseless than dead. I point to the mountains on my left. She nods.

"10…9…8…7…6…5…4…3…2…1"

"Booooonnnnnggggg," the gong sounds as everything turns to chaos.

 **A/N Review please!**

 **If you must know, the arena is based off of Jiufen in Taiwan, famous for its night market. Look it up; it'll give you a better idea of the arena.**

 **See you soon!**

 **Which POV do you think is coming next?**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Boooooooonnnnggggg! And so we have it, the first day of the games! I hope you enjoy this chapter! Please favorite, follow, and review. :) New chapter coming up next week! -nadinelikesbooks**

 _ **Lucretia Carnell D2 F (17)**_

I could feel the gong vibrate in my chest as my feet jumped into reality. Screaming erupts in my awakening ears and the sound of shoes ruffling in the dark, moist grass almost loses my pace. But I can't be distracted. I have one place to go, and one thing to find.

I sprint towards the cornucopia.

My head pounds with a rhythm I can not deceive.

 _Cornucopia. Spear. Run. Careers._

I finally reach the humid, dank area also known as the cornucopia, and soon I am acknowledged that I am the first one there. Ruffling my hands through all of the materials: weapons, food, backpacks, wood, tools, etc. compressed into one huge pile, I manage to pick up two backpacks and a couple of knives before the second tribute welcomes himself inside the cornucopia.

Cartier, District 1.

"Cartier! It's me!" I yell at him from the other side of the room. He glances at me for a split second, and I unfortunately don't make it in time to look away when Cartier's head jerks back, his elbow contacting a small boy's jaw. I then hear a loud snap when the boy's head is twisted, falling to the ground. His eyes are peeled open when blood slowly pours from his lips, the color of maroon, following a loud _BOOM_!

That happened so fast.

More people enter the cornucopia as more cannons are fired. I cannot keep track of how many ring between my eardrums as my hands ruffle through the pile of everything in the cornucopia.

Where is the spear?

I glance outside the cornucopia and witness people running away, people killing other people when running away …

The spear.

In the hands of that district 8 boy who Angelica teased.

I grab the backpacks and knives, running to the district 8 boy. "Give me the spear!" I yell at him while he runs away. He's too fast. Instead of chasing him, I throw one of the knives and it shoots straight through the ground. I sigh and retain a better angle.

 _Imagine it's a spear, Lucretia. Throw the spear_.

So I throw it. There it lands, in his shoulder, and I hear him groan and fall to the ground, the spear losing his grip. I sprint towards him, my head pounding, and his free hand covers his moist red shoulder. A stab of pity approaches my stomach, but I shake it off. Grabbing the spear, I tell him in my most sincere voice, "Don't even think of trying to get this back," and my foot contacts with his face, burying it in the dark, blood soaked grass. He stands still for a few moments, his eyes twitching. I take off, my grip tight on the spear.

 _Where is Ajax?_

My head pounds as I run through a dark forest, humidity passing through the grey, lifeless sky. Spruce trees approach me, all of different sizes, their pale leaves falling slowly from the branches. This arena... It feels so dull. So unwelcoming.

My stomach lurches as a figure approaches me. I prepare my spear, ready to fire. As soon as I am about to throw, I hear a man scream, "Hold it!" I walk towards the figure slowly, my aim still held steadily in my hand. "Who's that?" I ask, my voice steady. "Lucretia?" The voice says in a familiar tone.

"Ajax?" I call, not daring to lower my weapon. The figure redeems itself from beyond the shadows of a tall tree.

"Ajax," I say, lowering my weapon relieved, "I was just about to look for you. I thought, maybe —"

"Shh," he demands, eyes widening. He points behind himself, not moving a muscle. His lips move to form the words, _someone is here._

I quickly grab him by the arm and pull him towards me. "Maybe it's the other Careers," I whisper to him. "It's not, they would've presented themselves already," he responds. Before I can say anything, something hits the tree we are hiding behind and the branches shake. I slowly peek and seek a bloody knife planted deeply inside the wood.

 _The district 8 boy. That's my knife._

Angrily, I approach away from the tree and prepare my weapon. "I told you not to come back for this," I yell ahead of me. I hear footsteps approach me. "Give me the spear or give me your friend," the figure of the District 8 boy comes upon me, another clean knife gripped in his hand, aiming towards Ajax who is standing besides me. "You're kidding right?" Ajax says, laughing. "You think you can kill me?" I laugh as well. "C'mon Lucretia, let's give this guy our warm welcome."

I smile and drop my weapon, sliding it in the middle of the tribute from 8 and I. "Here, take it," I smirk. The boy hesitates, and instead of picking up the spear, he chucks his knife. Ajax was fast enough to dodge it, obviously. "Now that we're all clear of weapons, why don't you take the spear?" I say in a tone I've never heard come from my mouth before. The boy's eyes widen. "You know what? Forget it. I'm just gonna go now…" As he backs away, I pick up the spear and walk towards him. "No, really, take it. I dare you," I smile. He backs away and I follow him. His back hits a tree and he almost falls to the ground. "Maybe you should turn around," I say, touching the tip of the spear to his neck. The boy's lips tremble. "Please, let me go," is all he can form as he stumbles to the ground, "I won't bother you again."

"I know you won't," I smile, enjoying myself. As the boy stands up and begins to run, I aim my spear at him. "Don't you want the spear?" I say, and chuck it through his heart and past his spine. A loud crack forms from his body as I move the spear around in his stomach, slowly digging it from his weakening veins. He chokes up and spits blood on my shoes, eyes turning dead and white. Ajax laughs and kicks the boy to the ground, and I clean the blood from my spear on to my pants. A loud boom forms from the cannon. The boy sits still, resting on the tree, blood and spit pouring like a fountain from his gaping mouth. I feel the gust of dawn approach me, and I clap my hands together. "That was fun," Ajax says and laughs.

"Yeah," I say oddly, "it sort of was." Should I feel guilty for being proud of myself? Should I feel bad for killing this boy? Maybe I should, but I don't. There's only one winner anyway. Better to die now then wait until later.

"Got anything?" Ajax asks me and I throw him the two backpacks that lie behind the tree we stood near before. "Nice. I got a backpack filled with bread and apples and crackers. Also found a sword. Let's open yours."

I listen to him and open the two bags, dumping them on the dirt sitting between us. Inside are crackers, two water bottles, a flashlight, rope, string, and an awkward feather. "This is some pretty useful stuff," Ajax says.

"Yeah," I nod slowly.

"Scared?"

"Just bored."

"Me too. Let's find our friends," he says, standing up and shaking the dirt from his pants. I nod again. We pack our bags and begin walking through the forest, twilight tailing us.

After about an hour and a half of walking, the temperature changes. We reach a large, windy, lone sort of town with different types of houses and styles, some made out of brick, stone and wood. They are all almost completely destroyed. There are no lights except for the moon reflecting on the gravel we stand upon. A nice view of a lake is in approach on a large bridge not too far from us.

"It's freezing here," Ajax says, walking towards one of the houses, "let's go inside." I follow him inside the first brick house we see. Bricks, dust and debris encounters us and surrounds the floor as we shuffle inside the one story house, and I walk through a spider web, cursing under my breath. "Disgusting," I say, and Ajax laughs. The house is dark and quiet, then I bring out my flashlight and turn it on. We are in the kitchen. The walls have white paint peeling from the not broken walls and a small refrigerator already opened. Most of the drawers are missing from the counters and silverware and plates are misplaced on the broken table and tiled floor. We then walk inside a small passageway into the living room, and I sit on the hard, dusty red couch. A cracked tv sits in front of us, but there is no remote. Flies swim around the screen and I cringe. I hate bugs. I hate spiders. I shudder. Ew.

Oddly, these are the only two rooms in the house. The others seem to be missing or destroyed. Fortunately I find a large blanket resting on the couch and I grab it, placing it on Ajax and I.

"Do you just want to continue our search tomorrow?" I ask him, turning off my flashlight.

"I suppose so. I'm tired of walking. Gonna sleep," he responds drowsily.

"Same. Night."

"Good night."

It is quiet for three minutes until loud footsteps approach us on the ground. Almost in sync, Ajax and I jerk up and prepare our weapons. I grip on my flashlight, not turning it on. "You think they're here?" A familiar voice whispers.

"Yeah, I almost swore I saw a light from the window a few minutes ago," a high pitched feminine voice says.

"Honestly, Angelica, if they're not here I'm gonna kill you."

Someone laughs from the background.

It's the careers!

I turn on my flashlight, and Ajax and I approach them in the kitchen. "Oh my gosh hey!" Marlena says, and behind her is Ray, Cartier, and Angelica. "I knew it! Ha!" Angelica yells, giving herself a high five.

"This place is so creepy," Marlena says, followed by the voice of Ray. "Let's see what we all have."

"Does everyone have weapons?" Cartier asks us.

"Yeah, think so," Ajax looks around and we see each one of them holding their own weapons.

"There's a living room here," I say, motioning them onto the large couch, positioning the flashlight on top of the tv so we can all see one another. We sit in silence, then Angelica speaks up. "Let's play a game."

"What?" Marlena says, obviously annoyed.

"Let's play a game! You know, let's get closer and stuff."

"I'm all up for that," I say, and everyone else except Marlena nods.

"You people are crazy. I'm so tired," she says and sighs, "fine, I'll play."

"Yay!" Angelica squeals. "What should we play?"

"Let's play truth or dare!" Cartier says, and we all exchange looks.

Angelica giggles. "Cartier. I dare you to eat something inside the fridge."

"Ew, that's so gross."

"Do it, do it!"

"Fine."

We all walk to the kitchen, and Cartier reaches inside the fridge, grabbing a small, slightly opened moldy cup of yogurt and a spoon from the floor. He wipes it on his pants and groans. "This looks disgusting," he says with slight pain in his voice. He digs the spoon inside the yogurt and plops it inside his mouth. I hear him swallow. Even my stomach lurches, but I giggle.

"BLARGH!" He shouts and spits the remaining yogurt inside the sink. Coughing and spitting, he demands for water. Ray hands him a water bottle, the rest of us laughing our heads off. I snort. Cartier chugs the water inside his mouth and gargles it, spitting it out. He coughs one last time and says, "Angelica. I dare you to walk inside that spider web over there," I gasp along with Angelica. "Oh my gosh, I can't."

"You have to," he says, and she rolls her eyes. "Fine." She closes her eyes and walks inside of it quickly, the sound of static embracing her. She squeals. "Oh my gosh! There was a spider in there!" She shakes her body, almost dancing, and starts slapping her shoulder, crying in fear. We all laugh.

"Lucretia, tell everyone about how you killed that district 8 boy."

"You mean the one who messed with Angelica?" Marlena speaks up.

"That's the one," he says, and I tell my story.

"So then, I'm like, 'don't you want the spear?' And I throw it at him."

"Oooooh," Ray says. We laugh.

"He died. He had such a priceless look on his face. Man, it was so hard not to die of laughter."

After we finish laughing, Marlena speaks. "I killed someone too. She was from District 6."

"I killed two guys from 3 and 7," Cartier says. We are all silent. "It was fun," Cartier speaks again. We laugh.

After talking and daring for a while, we all eventually sleep. I have to admit, that was really fun. Not a full night in the Games and I'm already making friends. I wouldn't think until now that the sounds of the cannons would put me into a nice, deep sleep rather than keep me awake in guilt all night.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N Hello! Joseph here, here to show you the D9 pair's view of Day One. There is quite a bit of overlap with the previous chapter in terms of time, for your information.**

 **I'd like to thank santiago. poncini20 for being so faithful with reviews and Reader Castellan for reading this story!**

 ** _Emmer Hawes, District Nine Male_**

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

Demetria and I run up the old stone stairs, carrying everything we got. We're running up one of the many stone stairways running up the mountain, and we're currently still in the market. The buildings on both sides are still intact, but if the Careers come hunting, we'd be trapped if we stayed in one of those.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

The buildings end, and so do the stairs. We're on a concrete road that winds down the mountain, and in front of us, the mountain keeps going up, covered in jungle. Also, nearby, I see the little hut-like things. It almost looks like... A cemetery.

"Look at that view," Demetria says. I turn around, and I gasp. We can see the entire market from here, and in the distance, we see the shimmering ocean. It's magnificent, albeit a bit smelly. Cannons begin to boom.

Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom. Boom.

We stand in silence. Eight dead. All of a sudden, another cannon sounds.

"That makes nine," she says, just as another cannon sounds. "Ten."

"We should keep going," I say, "Up the mountain. We stand out over here. Anyone could see us."

"Yeah, then let's keep moving."

We press on. At home, there aren't that many trees, so this is completely new. I feel the lush green leaves as we walk by, and Demetria picks a few flowers, just out of curiosity. After a few more minutes of walking, she breaks the silence.

"Shouldn't we see what we have?"

"Good point." I put my backpack down and open it. "Here's a rope... Ear plugs... Scissors... Some jerky... And some fever pills."

"Is that last one supposed to make me feel nervous?"

"I dunno. What do you have?"

"Umm... A bottle of iodine for water purification... Crackers... Ooohh night vision goggles... A blanket... A knife... And matches."

"That's an amazing haul. Anything else?"

"Yed." She looks at me with a mischievous smile. "I also got... this." She pulls out the scythe we saw at the Cornucopia.

"You went that far in!" I shout, "You- you could've been killed!"

"Shush. Someone might hear you. And you have to admit, I _did_ find the better supplies."

"B-but," I sputter, "Fine. Let's keep moving."

l-~-~-~-~-l

We've been walking for hours, only stopping for a quick snack. The sun is beginning to sink, and it's been the same. Forest. Jungle. Forest. Whatever. Just this morning, I was excited to see so many trees, but I think I've had enough. Though the nuts and fruits everywhere are a nice touch. All of a sudden, we stumble into a small clearing with a sign in the middle. Huh.

"What do you think it is?" Demetria asks.

"I dunno. I'll go check it out." I walk up to it and read. "Warning. Forcefield ahead." I look at Demetria, who looks at me strange. "Hey, that's what it says."

I pick up a small pebble and throw it forward. For a second, it goes smoothly. But all of a sudden, there's a flash of light and the pebble flies back, hitting me in the shoulder.

"Ow!" I say, rubbing the sore spot. "So there is a forcefield here. Is it just me, or is the arena small?"

She shrugs. "I guess we can't get any farther."

"Yeah, let's set up here."

Demetria takes the things and puts the!m next to a tree while I try to find out roughly where the forcefield is. I throw pebbles into thin air before marking the border. I wouldn't want to walk into that. After I finish, I go to Demetria, who is sitting against a tree. The the last bit of sun is going down, and everything is turning dark.

"Do you think the Careers are hunting?" she worries.

"Probably," I say, "But we're so far out; we should be fine. You take the blanket."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Don't worry about it."

The Capitol anthem begins to play, and both of us move out from under the tree to see. The first face is the boy from Three.

"I saw the District One guy kill him," Demetria whispers, "Snapped his neck. He was lucky."

The next face is the girl from Five, and then the girl from Six. We didn't know either of them, but I saw the Four girl take down Six, slicing her open. I shudder. Next is Sawyer.

"He's dead?" I involuntarily say.

"Yeah. I think I saw too much," Demetria says, her voice melancholy and soft, "That was the One guy again. He tackled him into the Cornucopia before bashing his head in with a club." She almost seems like she might cry.

Then comes both from Eight.

"I thought that the boy got away," I say.

"Me too."

We're both here, so we aren't surprised when the next face isn't a District Nine. Or a Ten. It's the girl from Eleven.

"So Rosalie and Levi are out there," I say. Demetria sighs.

Finally, both from District Twelve appear in the sky. I'm not surprised to see the girl; Ajax really messed her up during training. So District Twelve is out of the running. Again.

"They're all dead? We saw them only yesterday," Demetria says, "And they're gone. Forever. I just can't believe it." She begins to sob silently. I wish I could comfort her; make her feel better, but I can't. This is reality. People are going to die in here. Many of us. Probably both of us. I say the first thing that comes to mind.

"Welcome to the Hunger Games."

 **A/N I know, depressing ending. Review please?**


	15. Chapter 15

Lucretia Carnell (D2 F, 17) : Chapter 14

Day 3

A/N: Hey guys! Nadinelikesbooks here. Here is a long, juicy chapter I took deep pleasure into writing, and I would like to thank all of you for the support! I hope you're enjoying this collab so far, and if you have any sort of feedback or advice, please give us reviews anytime! Also, please don't forget to favorite and follow!

Hope you enjoy this chapter! :)

"Are we going to kill people yet?" I hear Marlena say from the bedroom, bored. I prop up on an old, creaky white chair. We've already been to seven different houses, each dispersed in different areas in the town. "I already said," Cartier speaks up, "We're exploring this town. We might find stuff."

"We're wasting our time," I say, turning my back to my left, where Cartier and Ray sit on the couch opening different backpacks and examining objects we've come upon during our migration.

"We are not," Ray then raises his voice, "trust me. There's got to be someone here."

Ignoring what he said, I see Ajax head through the doorway into the living room. "Lucretia's right, guys. We need to move."

"I'm with the tall guy," Marlena's voice approaches as she heads towards the closure, welcoming all 6 of us Careers into the same room.

"Yeah, I mean, we spent like a whole day getting new stuff," Ajax speaks. I join in.

"Exactly. We all have packed bags. We don't want them to get too heavy."

"I'm staying with Cartier. He knows what he's doing," Angelica says and I softly roll my eyes. "Fine," I say, "why don't we split up for a bit?"

"What?" The five of them all say in sync, exchanging bewildered looks. "Lucretia, do you even know what you're doing?" Cartier says to me sternly.

"It's not like you have any better ideas. We're gonna get way more done if we actually leave this stupid place, anyway. What are we even doing right now? Just wasting time?"

It takes a lot of persuading to finally get their heads in the right direction. "Fine," Cartier says, hesitantly, then shakes his head. "Fine." Everybody nods.

"Good," I say, slightly proud of myself. "Ajax, Marlena, you guys come with me. The rest of you just do whatever, I guess."

"Wait!" Angelica squeals, jumping from her seat, "where do we meet up once we're done?"

"Yeah," Ajax says, "and when?"

They all look at me. Wow. Am I practically the leader now? "Um, maybe at the large tarn over there at dusk, since it's in the center of everything. Plus, we all know how to find it from anywhere we are. But nobody should go there alone. Who knows what could be lurking there in the middle of the night?"

"She's right," Ray says, and everybody agrees.

"Cool," Ajax says with a sly smile creeping on his face. He firms his grip on his sword and cracks his neck. "Let's do this."

The pale, grey sky is being protected by the white marshmallow clouds lurking from above. The sun is nowhere to be seen, however, light still passes in this forbidden town. I shudder. The thought of this makes the outside even more freezing than it already is.

Ajax, Marlena and I walk passionately from the town concaving through the dark forest we had once been introduced. "So, what are we doing here, really?"

"Looking for signs."

"Of what?"

"I mean, anything really—"

Ajax joins in. "People, food, water, some ideas."

"I wanna kill someone," Marlena says mischievously.

Ajax points beyond us, "Go kill that tree."

"Oh yeah," Marlena's face brightens up as she jokingly grabs her packet of knives from her belt, walking to the tree. Suddenly, she steps on the mossy ground and I hear a small, moist _crack,_ making my heart leap. "Just a cockroach," Marlena says as she stabs her knife into the tree, nothing happening.

"Come on guys, we have to keep moving," I say, secretly disgusted by the sound of the bug dying.

"Alright, alright," Ajax says. Marlena simply smiles and follows us.

As the clouds begin to settle away, the invisible sun setting, Ajax's voice arises to my ears. "Ready to turn around and confess to the others that absolutely nothing happened?" I elbow him and roll my eyes. "Be quiet," I say, and turn around. Before stomping my way back to the creepy town, I am almost glued to the ground in shock. "Did you see that?" I ask, my mouth barely moving.

"What is it?" Marlena asks in response to my reaction.

"Someone is following us," I whisper, and the three of us quiet down.

There is no sound but the simple whistling of the wind, my ears ringing with confusion. I shake my head; moving from side to side. The sound of leaves cracking emerges in my mind, each one sounding more clear than the other. I cover my ears. I hear small steps clicking on the broken branches and dark ground. It sort of sounds like the quiet, but loud echo of high heels repeating every mili second, in other words every time my head bobs back to fourth, daring not to blink. I fall to the ground, my hands still covering my ears.

"Lucretia?" Ajax's tense voice approaches as he crouches down beside me. Marlena shakes me shoulders and shouts, "Lucretia!"

Then it is all quiet. I can't even hear or see Ajax or Marlena.

"Oh my—" one of them says, but I cannot decipher who. "Stand up, Lucretia," A voice commands me, and somehow I obey. As I rise to my feet, I look ahead of me. Then I see it.

Cockroaches.

Everywhere.

They all swarm at us, coming different shapes and sizes. But they all have the sick, disgusting brown color and distinct odor, making me want to puke. Marlena steps forward and meets the creatures. She pulls out her knives as they swim beneath her feet, piling above her ankles. "Ouch!" Marlena yips, and with bugging eyes (get it), she shouts at us, "They bite! OUCH! RUN!"

Regarding that, my feet jump and I turn around, sprinting ahead of me, Ajax and Marlena tailing behind. We run from tree to tree, more cockroaches approaching us, catching up with our speed. Suddenly, more come from different directions, making us turn and barely miss hitting each tree we come upon. I dare to turn around and see cockroaches jumping high from one another, falling from tree after tree, the herd doubling every second.

Where are they coming from? I ask myself as I dodge the falling cockroaches and squeal whenever one lands on my shoulder. Bugs being my worst fear, the cockroaches don't have to bite me to make me scream.

"We have to find the others!" I shout, not hearing myself.

But Ajax must've heard me. "Follow me!"

I turn and face Ajax, along with Marlena, and he jumps on the thick branches of a relatively large and stable tree. "No cockroaches on here," he says quite loudly, rising to the top of the tree.

"Hurry up before they climb it," Marlena says. I begin to step on the cockroaches and attempt to stab them with my spear without getting them stuck onto it. This is a nightmare. A disgusting nightmare. "Find anyone?" I shout, jumping on the ground, scraping the edges of the birch with my spear, preventing the cockroaches from climbing the tree. Marlena flawlessly stabs each cockroach on the tree, seeming delighted with herself.

"Not really," Ajax says, "but I do see-"

BAM! I am then knocked to the ground where cockroaches eat at my face, and I reach for my spear without thinking. I scream, slapping at my face, and force myself up, I am dizzy and blind for a few moments until I awkwardly process what just happened. In front of me crowds Cartier, Ray, and Angelica, socializing with Ajax and Marlena. I join in.

"We have to run!" Cartier yells.

"Yeah, I think we all know that!" Ajax shouts as everybody begins there way beyond the large tree, and I follow. I struggle trying not to throw up, and my head is heavy with disgust and fear. This is embarrassing, how afraid I am, isn't it?

We are almost forced into a specific path, until we are confident into stopping, outrunning the cockroaches for a brief moment. "Guys," Angelica says, seriously for once, "It's a dead end." She breathes heavily and grabs her chest.

"What do you mean?" Someone asks for me.

"Up there," she tilts her head, "there is a cliff. Beyond it is the tarn we talked about earlier."

"What do we do?" Cartier asks, unafraid.

"They're gonna chase us until we get there," I say for Angelica.

"Exactly," she says.

Suddenly:

A figure sweeps through the trees, passing my eyes amidst a single blink. I recognized it as the same person as before, the same one coming right before I tumbled to the ground right before the cockroaches came.

The person comes again.

The person is a girl.

She comes closer, heading towards us.

"SOMEONE IS HERE!" I shout, almost tumbling to the ground again. We all run away in different directions, for the sake of our own lives. I hide behind a tree, spotting four other Careers, however, one isn't there…

"Guys, help! I'm stuck!" Angelica squeals, trying to free her feet from being tangled in a large rope hung by two branches. I hear the clip clop of the 'high heels' approaching.

The cockroaches. Heading for Angelica.

"No!" However, her fidgeting doesn't change her fate.

"Angelica!" Cartier yells, and we all are forced to watch what happens next.

I don't have to explain the details when the cockroaches tumble on Angelica, taking over her body. They then shrink, decomposing the rests of her pale skin, each cockroach sinking into the ground one by one, finishing off with the loud BOOM of a cannon.

It is silent once again.

Not until the person reveals herself as the tribute from District 3.

At her attempt to run away, I quickly emerge from the tree and grab her neck, hanging her body barely two feet from the edge of the cliff. "And where do you think you're going?" I yell as the girl kicks her feet at me. Ajax then comes and grabs her legs, the rest of the remaining Careers crowding us, preparing their weapons.

"Let me go!" The girl yells, obviously afraid.

"You're going to die, little girl," Marlena says, her face lighting up with excitement. "Can I be the one to kill her?" Nobody says anything. "I'll take that as a yes," she says with a proud huff.

"You're going to die knowing you killed someone else now, not so innocent being," Ray says with a laugh. I tighten my grip on her neck and smile. "Do you really take pride in that?" I ask her, holding my slight pity for Angelica.

The girl tries to speak, but instead she spits up blood, being choked up by the strength of my fingers around her neck. Marlena then jabs her knife into the girl's forehead, and I hear a loud crack emerging from her skull. I release my fingers from the girl's neck and she tumbles to the ground, landing with another loud BOOM from the cannon. Cartier then grunts and kicks the girl with such a strong force her whole body swings off of the cliff and falls into void.

The group of what used to be 6 now stands in silence, and I look beyond the cliff.

"Well, confession time. Who else knew she would die first?" Marlena says, regarding Angelica.

I embarrassingly raise my hand along with everybody else, and we all laugh.

"She was so positive it was annoying," Ajax says.

"True," Cartier smiles, "but without her we wouldn't be as close, ya know?"

"Yeah," I say.

"Alright guys," Ajax says after a few moments, "it's getting dark. We should head back to that tarn before we're chased by some dragons or something."

The rest of the night is loud with silence and laughter as dusk fully comes upon us.

A/N: Angelica… :( She was honestly my personal favorite. Anyone else think she would die first? Hope you enjoyed! Stay tuned! :D


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Hi! Sophie (shadowhunter824) here! I know, this chapter is short. I'm sorry, but it felt like the appropriate time to stop it. Hope you enjoy!**

 _ **Demetria Milford (15)**_

 _ **D9 Female**_

It's Day 3 of the Hunger Games already. It's absolutely incredible for me to have made it this far. To the top twelve. Dawn is just beginning to break; and it's my watch. I see the sun rise over the ocean, slowly, steadily. Artificially. It's soon covered by the layer of fog that never seems to go away. I turn over and look at Emmer in his tranquil slumber. I really don't have the guts to wake him up. He's had a long shift, and he looks ever so peaceful. Bored, I begin to toss pebbles laying around at the force-field a couple feet away from me. The stones remind me of nuts, which brings me to the realization that Emmer and I are almost out of food and water. I have to wake him up. Sighing, I nudge him gently. He bolts forward and reaches for a weapon.

"Woah there tiger! I didn't mean to scare you!" I say.

He shudders and releases the knife.

"Unfortunately, we're almost out of food. And water for that matter. We should go hunting." I continue.

"Thanks, I'll get everything ready and we can head that way." He points towards the left.

"Sounds perfect." I say as I stand up and dust myself off.

We begin to head towards the town, but we know our boundaries. We're near the edge of the arena, in the jungle on the mountains. A good half an hour later, I spot some wild berries. I know they're safe, I've seen them at the Training Center. We also gather the nuts on the trees above. They're quite plentiful, just hard to reach. We've found a way using our collected stones. Out of nowhere, I stop to reflect on all the dead tributes. Half of them are gone on Day 4. I can't help but think I'll be one of them in no more than a couple of days. Or hours. Shaking my head, I continue to search for a water resource.

Suddenly, I hear a groaning sound. I snap my head back and scan my eyes around the area. Someone is nearby. Instinctively reaching for my pocketknife, Emmer and I glance at each other before tiptoeing towards the direction of the noise made. Behind a mass of green foliage, I see a blonde head. It's a female. I motion for Emmer to come and see, if this is who I think it is. Without a doubt, it's Rosalie. She's curled up in a ball and shaking. From fear or pain, I'll never know. It doesn't matter, Emmer's face lights up, as we've just found another ally. He shouts her name, but she can't seem to hear. Is she unconscious?

"Rosalie!" Emmer says again.

No response.

I realize immediately, something is wrong. I rush forward to see what's happened. I unfold Rosalie, and see a huge gash on her leg. It's still bleeding, even though it's clearly been there since the bloodbath. Blood trickles from the cut at a slow and steady pace. I'm feeling slightly dizzy at the sight of it. Emmer steps forward instantly and shakes Rosalie. She wakes up for a couple of seconds, looks around, opens her mouth as if to speak, and blacks out again. My immediate instinct draws me to the herbs around the Jungle. Grabbing everything I recognize, I run back to Rosalie. She's severely injured, from who knows what. I try my best to heal her. I wrap her leg in leaves and herbs and force a small amount of water into her system. It's the only thing I can do in this bloody arena. I close my eyes, and hope she doesn't die. Slowly, her breathing evens out.

Emmer carries her back to our spot, far away from the town, deep in the Jungle. We've gotten enough edible plants and water for the day. He lies her down on the ground. I stare at her. I remember how I felt about her several days ago. I still don't trust her in the slightest, but human life is human life. I couldn't have just left her there to die. She would've died in hours without a doubt. I know my nature is too kind for my own good. Now, I know I'll never live a day in peace for the rest of my short life. I look over to Emmer. He seems pretty happy. Of course, Rosalie's what he's wanted.

"Thank you." Emmer says quietly.

"For what?"

"You saved her. I know you don't like her."

I feel guilty at this. "I don't dislike her, I just don't really trust her. And, no matter what, I won't let anything stop me from saving a life if I can."

There's an awkward moment of silence after that. Although, I prefer the term "peace". In this moment I feel… safe. Rosalie's sleeping, the Careers are at the Cornucopia, and not a single noise out of line. I'm extremely tired at this point, so I ask Emmer if he can take watch for an hour or so. He nods, and I'm out.

 **A/N: What did you guys think? Please review/favorite/follow! Hope you liked it!**


	17. Chapter 17

_**Lucretia**_

 _ **Chapter 17**_

 _ **District 2 Female**_

 **A/N: Hey guys! I'm so sorry it took forever to get this chapter up! The semester's almost over and I had so much work to do... But... here you go! Chapter 17! Hope you enjoy! Please, don't forget to favorite, follow, and review! Thanks! :)**

Ever since the night after Angelica died, we've been exploring the outskirts of the town, finding new meeting spots and different things to eat. Now it is morning and I am looking for food with Ajax. I hear him sharpening his sword.

"So how are you?" I ask him. We haven't had much time to talk one on one since we allied with the Careers.

"Me? I'm pretty good, I guess," he shrugs, still sharpening his sword.

"Do you trust them? The Careers?"

"Yeah, why not? Don't you?"

"I just don't know them too well."

"Lucretia, there is no chance they're going to kill us. I hope you know that."

"How are you so sure?" I look at the ground.

"Because," he says, looking at me, "they need us to survive."

Ajax is right. He's always right. Without him, my mind would be a series of unfathomable thoughts. I'm glad to have him around.

We return about an hour later with nothing but two frogs and a deer. There aren't too many animals in the outskirts of the part of town we're in. Hopefully this will be enough to feed everyone in our alliance.

"Oooh, what do we got?" Marlena says, licking her lips.

"Two frogs and a deer," Ajax responds downheartedly.

"Whatever man I'm starving," Cartier says excitedly, and soon enough we are devouring our meat.

The juicy frog leg swims through my throat and dances in my stomach. It feels like I haven't eaten for days yet it's only been a couple of hours. As we chew silently (except for Cartier who is munching dramatically on his frog leg), I hear something pass through the leaves ahead of us.

"Anyone hear that?" Marlena asks, swallowing her deer vigorously. I raise my hand, still chewing my food. We take a few moments to finish our breakfast then stand up, preparing our weapons.

Cartier stands in the front, motioning us quietly to follow him. As we do so, the rattle of leaves approaches again, and we inspect different parts of the forest carefully. I see nothing but the shadow of dead, brown and green leaves fluttering on the grown being blown by the steady wind. And suddenly -

"GUYS!" It's Ray. We all run to him and find ourselves circling a young boy from District 6, I believe.

"What are you doing here, little man?" Ajax asks him with a tedious tone. I smirk.

"Did you get lost?" Marlena adds on.

"I … uh, I -" the boy stutters and we laugh. Then, without warning, he jumps between Cartier and Marlena then sprints ahead of him. We don't have to acknowledge one another to chase him - I find myself doing that already. We each chase him from different directions and I easily catch up with his pace. I feel a tap from my shoulder and I glance to my left. It's Marlena.

"There's a cave over there. We can drive him inside if we all cave in that way." She motions her hands in a specific order which I oddly understand. With a faint nod, I keep my eyes on the boy, who is headed towards a lake, only a few blocks right from the cave (according to Marlena). It's easy catching up with the boy's endurance, but mildly difficult having to warn myself of the twigs and branches I can get stuck on while running. I then see Marlena face the boy's back and mouth to everyone, "to the cave!" pointing beyond her. Fortunately, they understand, to my confusion. We each take part in chasing the boy and direct him to run towards the left, finally accompanied by a small cave. The boy, I'm sure without thinking, runs inside the cave and the rest of us meet together before the entrance.

"Nice thinking, Marlena," Ajax says. Just before I am about to enter, Marlena grabs my shoulder. "Don't."

I shake her hand off and reply coldly, "Why not?"

She doesn't say anything. After a few moments, I jump back in shock after hearing a loud roar. I hear the grand, pitiful screams of the boy ringing in my ears, a loud snap, then nothing... Then a cannon.

The roar sounds again and Marlena laughs. "It's a bear. I came in here and found it while I was getting food for y'all the other night. I didn't kill it because I thought it could be useful."

Ajax smirks. "Pretty useful, I'd say."

"Why didn't you tell us about it before?" I ask her.

"Well," Marlena pauses, "what if I needed it to kill one of you guys?" She smiles slyly and heads back to our camp. I tag along.

Night passes by and the five of us explore through different areas of the town, chatting.

"Wait, so you put the dead fish in his bedroom?" Ajax says.

Ray snorts, and Marlena giggles. "Yes!" He exclaims. "It was hidden under his bed for a month until he had it inspected by peacekeepers."

"Poor kid!" I exclaim, and we all laugh.

"Well, he deserved it. Next time, kids, don't take my -"

"Guys, look!" Cartier exclaims and points ahead of him.

Glancing, I see a dark alley enclosed by a large, tall fence. There are flies surrounding the entry gate and I shudder at the sight. When approaching the entry, I see that everything inside is so dark, so dull, yet so clear. We are in a graveyard.

The climate seems to have changed so quickly. "It's freezing," I say, my teeth chattering.

"Are you kidding?" Ajax says, "it's like 400 degrees here."

This place gives me the creeps. "Maybe we should go," I suggest.

"No way," Ray says, "we might find something here."

"Like what, zombies?" Marlena says, and walks to my side. "I'm with Lucretia on this one. We should leave."

"This place is pretty cool," Cartier says. "I wonder who all of these people are."

"I guess this really is an abandoned town," Ajax says, examining the tombstones. I trot over to his side. "You really trust this place?" I ask him, my head thumping.

"We're in an arena. I don't trust anyone or anything here. Not even you. Why should this place be any different?" Ajax looks at me for a few moments then walks off. Ouch.

He does have a point though.

But still, if Ajax doesn't even trust me, why do I trust him the most out of anyone here? Is he going to be the one to kill me because of that? Will I kill him? Should I just stop allying with him for good? Maybe I can dig a hole and make a tombstone for him … I won't feel that much pain when killing everyone else.

Lucretia! What are you thinking?

Maybe I can build a grave for myself and just crawl in there until I die. Or I can eat some dead human flesh. That seems pretty tasty for the dead soul I have…

LUCRETIA!

It's the graveyard.

"Guys we have to get out!" I scream, running to Ajax. I grab his arm tightly and pull him with me as I run for the gate. "What is your problem?" He shouts and - OUCH - elbows me hard in the face. "Ajax, this isn't you! It's the graveyard! It's changing your thoughts! We have to get out!" I grab his arm again and pull tightly.

"Shut up Lucretia! I'm going to kill you!" Ajax yells at me and picks up his sword.

"Ajax, we need to leave -"

Two cannons sound.

"CARTIER!"

Ajax and I quiet down and head to the source of the voice, which is Marlena. Ray meets up with us three, and here we stand over the obliterated body of Cartier. His whole head is chopped off and blood, the color of maroon, pours down his gashed neck as the odor of his organs creeps through his torn chest. I gag.

Besides him lies the corpse of a boy, District 10 male, with a knife in his chest. Blood seeps from his gaping mouth and his eyes are widely open.

"How did this happen?" Ray is brave enough to ask.

Marlena says nothing but points above her.

Looking up, I see the branch of a tree hidden with a tiny silver basket. "Some type of bomb was in there, I think. Stupid District 10 kid tried to outsmart us. Luckily I killed him before he ran off. He just jumped from that tree and … this happened."

The four of us are silent for a few moments until we head out of the graveyard.

"District 1's completely out," I say in shock.

"Yeah," Ray responds.

"But guys, we shouldn't go back in that graveyard," I warn them. "It manipulates us and makes us want to do things we wouldn't consider doing before." I look at Ajax who stares at his feet silently.

"I agree," Marlena says.

"Me too," adds Ray.

"Same," Ajax responds.

"Good. We should set up a camp somewhere and get sleep, then," I say.

"I'll set things up," Ray says.

"I'll help," says Marlena.

"I'll make dinner here," I say.

Ajax doesn't say anything but he makes a fire. I prepare everything I need to cook.

Finally, after a long awkward moment, Ajax speaks.

"I'm sorry I tried to kill you back there."

I nod.

"I never was going to. And I do trust you, I hope you know that."

"Of course I do. We're best friends, Ajax," I say, rubbing my hands above the fire to regain warmth.

"What if we actually have to kill one another though?" Ajax says, sounding afraid.

"Then I'll make sure I beat you to it," I say. He smiles.

Dinner served more than enough of us tonight.

 **A/N: So, what did you think? Did you expect that? Stay tuned! :)))**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Merry Christmas/Happy New Year! Hope your holidays were and are going to be fantastic! Anyway, let's get the chapter going** **J**

 ** _Demetria Milford_**

 ** _D9 F (15)_**

BOOM! The sound of the cannon jerks me awake. I look up at the sky to see the faces of two fallen tributes. The District 1 male and District 10 male. The D1 male? So soon? The D10 male… and then it hit me. Rosalie's district partner, Levi, the only thing she has from home. I look over to see Rosalie staring up at the sky, with tears welling up in her eyes. They roll down her cheeks and sink into the collar of her shirt. I feel awful for her. Even though I don't trust her, she's still just like me. Confused and petrified in all this chaos. Our lives aren't our lives anymore, but the Capitol's. Ever since the Reaping, our lives haven't, and will never belong to us.

Rosalie is still weeping, and I can't sleep. I tell Emmer to let me keep watch for now, and we trade shifts. Shortly, Rosalie falls asleep too. She isn't in her best form, as she's still sick from her injury. My mind wanders, and I think of something we can do. Suddenly, I feel extremely nervous. I whip my head around to see if anyone is nearing. Rosalie begins to thrash around in her sleep, whispering "I'm so sorry" or "I had no choice, please forgive me". She hasn't been sober since we found her. She jolts herself awake, and her eyes widen enormously. She lets out a muffled scream, although not loud enough for anyone else to hear.

"What are you doing here!? I'm sorry, I already said so! Please, just leave me alone." She whimpers.

Emmer wakes up and tries to console her. "Rosalie what's happening? There's nothing there!"

"Get him away from me." She whispers.

Emmer and I grab our belongings and run with Rosalie. She's still crying from her nightmare (or whatever she was yelling at).

We ran far from the town and graveyard and farther into the lush jungle. Rosalie stops us because she can't go on anymore. She insists on staying where we are now for a while. We nod and drop everything to settle for a while. After Rosalie seems to be sleeping again, Emmer and I talk for the first time in a while.

"What do you think is wrong with her?" Emmer asks.

I shake my head. "No idea."

I gasp. "Do you think she killed someone?"

"Not a chance. She would never do that." Emmer replies strongly.

"How can you be so sure?"

"How can you even think she would do such a thing? I know you don't like her, but you seriously believe she would kill someone?"

"Well then how else can you explain her constant crying and screaming at… who knows what!?"

He sighs. "Then what do you think we can do about it? IF whatever you're saying is right?"

"I don't know. I can't imagine killing anyone."

"She didn't. I'm just saying if…"

"Sure, but now I'm going to assume she did from now on. I mean, it makes sense for everything that's been happening."

Awkward moment of silence.

I guess this means Emmer doesn't disagree with me anymore. Rosalie has it tough. I get it. I decide to move the camp again, since staying in one place isn't going to help us at all. I think, how many people are dead already? I recall fourteen dead. So ten left alive? My death date must be coming soon, although, there's always that sliver of a chance. I feel extremely uncomfortable with Rosalie here now, as I think my theory of her killing another human is most likely true.

I take a sip of water, and the cool liquid soothes my throat. Conservation is really important, so we three split the rations really carefully. We find some more berries and nuts. Realizing how hungry I am, I gobble down some of the berries we found immediately. Rosalie doesn't seem to be in the mood for anything. She turns away any food or water, and continues moping. I don't have the courage to ask her what happened.

"Rosalie, no matter what happened, you have to eat something." Emmer says.

"Yes, we can't have you dying in the Arena from starvation when we have food or water." I pitch in.

"You guys don't understand. And I don't think you ever will." Rosalie replies. "I don't think I can ever forgive myself." She whispers quietly.

"Rosalie," I coax, "no matter what happened, you can tell us."

"No. I can't."

"But we're your allies, we should know what's going on. Especially if you can't even sleep." Emmer adds.

"I, I can't."

 **A/N: So, what did you guys think? What do you think Rosalie did? Once again, happy holidays from the three of us!**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N OH MY GOODNESS I'M SO SORRY. I didn't mean to be late. I've just been so busy with Meaningless and everything else.**

 ** _Emmer Hawes, District 9 male_**

"Emmer, wake up."

"Yeah... huh? What's... going on?" I say.

"Nothing. It's just time to get up."

I open my eyes, and I see Demetria kneeling over me I sit up.

"How's Rosalie?" I ask.

"See for yourself." I look at Rosalie's sleeping form, and she looks horrible. I ended up taking another shift, and she seemed calm enough then, if not for the rolling around and the whimpering.

"Was she like that all night?" I say. This can't be good. If Rosalie's going crazy, then we'll be forced to kill her. I get that these are the Games and all, but I still don't want to kill if I don't have to.

"Yes. I'd be surprised if she got a solid hour of rest."

"That's horrible."

"I have to agree," Demetria says. She stares at the ground.

"Huh? I though you... you know... didn't like her or trust her."

"I still don't," she says, "It's just, last night, when she saw Levi's face in the sky, it showed me that she's just like you and me, trapped in a game she doesn't want to play. I still think she's planning something, but last night, that was really her. Not some mask."

"That's profound."

"I like to think so."

I smile. "And that was the real you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well... Ever since the Games began, you've kinda been a little... emotional? I doubt you're always like that," I explain. Where is all this stuff coming from?

"Okay..."

"Sorry. I didn't mean for that to be awkward," I say. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Rosalie sitting up. "Rosalie's awake. We should eat and decide what to do today."

"We're still going to need more food."

"Yeah, I know. These are the _Hunger_ Games, after all."

I grab a strip of jerky and walk over to where Rosalie is sitting, her head buried in her hands.

"Hey, Rosalie?" I say. She immediately looks up and shrinks away. "It's just me."

"Oh, oh," she says, recovering,"I'm sorry. It's nothing, really."

"Do you want something to eat?" I ask. I hold out the strip of food. She looks as me, then the food, then the ground.

"I'm not hungry."

"Take it. You have to eat something."

She hesitates before taking it. "Fine."

"Mind if I sit down?" I say.

"Yes... No... Go ahead.".

I sit down on the grass and watch the sunrise with her."Something's wrong," I say.

"Nothing's wrong."

"No, something is. Can you please tell me?"

She looks at me with wide eyes. Fear. "I- I can't. But this place; it haunts you."

"What's that mean?"

"You don't understand. You're too nice; too kind. You'll never understand," she says. She goes back to staring at the grass.

"I'm not stupid. Something isn't just wrong; it's horribly wrong. Why won't you tell us?"

"I just can't! Okay?" she snaps. I look at her. Her blonde hair is wet and disheveled. Her eyes are puffy from crying and there are bags under them.

"Alright. I won't keep pressing. But I know that something's off."

She looks straight into my eyes. "These are the Hunger Games, Emmer. Everything is wrong. Everything is off," she says, "Everything is crazy and I don't know what I'm going to do and he keeps coming and I just don't know what I'm going to do..."

Her words are cut off by a new round of sobs. I place an arm around her shoulder.

"Shh... Don't cry..." I say, "You're with us now." She buries her head in my chest and cries. I pat her on the back. Eventually, she calms down.

"Th- Thanks," she says.

"Anytime."

I get to my feet and walk back to where Demetria is, watching us with a suspicious look in her eye.

"Something is definitely not right," she says.

"You're telling me, I just can't imagine what she's seeing."

"Not that. I, I still think.." She leans in to whisper. "Killed someone."

"Not this again," I say, "Even if she did, she's such a mess right now that she wouldn't do it again."

"So you're saying that you think she could've done it," she presses.

"Why do you care so much about what I think?" I ask.

"It's just- I don't trust her, okay?"

"Yeah. I get it."

She sighs. "I'm going to go find food or something."

"Okay."

I watch her disappear into the woods, and I turn back to watch Rosalie. She still sits there, unmoving, the wind blowing her hair every which way. I don't want to believe it. She couldn't have killed someone, could she? And she mentioned a "he." Who is "he"?

Demetria soon comes back with an armload of greens.

"This place is almost as full of food as a vegetable field," she says, "Greens are everywhere."

"That's nice to know," I say, "I'll help."

"Nah, I got it," she says, "Careful though. It's full of poison."

"Like…"

"Nightlock is rampant. Castor beans."

"Where did you learn this stuff," I ask. We don't have much at home.

"Training," she says, matter-of-factly and almost coldly. "You were watching Rosalie so much."

I stare at the ground. "Sorry. I don't mean to. And Rosalie worries me so much. I can't tell anything about her."  
"It's okay," she says, "I get that. Rosalie is… eye-catching. But please." She looks at me, her eyes full of worry. "Be careful. I don't want to lose you to her."

I nod. "I'll try."  
"I guess that's all we can do."

 **A/N I know, it's short. But this chapter doesn't have a whole lot of action, so there isn't much I can do. Sorry again.**

 **~Joseph**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: SO SORRY for another late chapter! But, thank you so much to Reader Castellan, Santiago . Poncini20, 897fanfictionqueen897, EthanW32, Hufflepuff64, moonlittears, and SibunaMockingjay for ever reviewing! Your reviews are more helpful than you can imagine :)** **they truly encourage me to go on, as well as Joseph and Nadine! Enjoy this chapter!**

 _ **Demetria Milford (15)**_

 _ **D9 F**_

I've started to lose track of everything. What day we're on, or how many are dead, who's dead, all that. It's stupid of me, I know, I just can't really focus and keep my memory in balance. I don't even know if this is all just a nightmare I'm having. Rosalie's getting a little better, and we're currently just scouting around, looking for some food and the necessities. We're running out of water. Cautious with every step, I look around for possible water sources. Yesterday was weird. Emmer said I was being a little emotional? Oh well, it's true. I was literally torn away from my life a week ago.

After some gathering and passing a small pond with clean water, we decide to take a break. It's getting past morning and getting to noon now. Emmer agrees to take first watch, and I don't object. After several crucial rest minutes, I realize that I'm not going to fall asleep anytime soon. I sit up and ask to take watch, since I can't sleep for some reason.

"I'll take watch."

"Can't sleep? Yeah, me neither. No idea why. Just, not tired, I guess." He replies.

"How's Rosalie?" I ask.

"She's doing better, although her nightmares don't seem to be leaving anytime soon."

"What was your life like, back home? I don't remember seeing you around." I decide to talk about home, since it helps everyone feel a little better. Home. Such a far distance away.

"Well, funny you mention it. I was just thinking about home." He chuckles. "I have a brother named Milton, with a wife, Kasha. I've also got a niece or nephew on the way. My goodness, he's due in a little over two months! I always thought it was going to be a boy… but, would I ever get to know?" He gets a little teary.

"Of course, Emmer. Don't worry. You're going to make it." I say firmly. I honestly don't know about my life anymore, but he's got to get out of here. He can make it. "What were your parents like?" I say on a brighter note.

"My dad's a great fiddle player. He would play this old tune when I was younger, and I think about it every time before I sleep. My mom was the best. She would make the best popcorn in all of Panem, and make me little sugar cookies every year on my birthday." He smiles. "It feels great to talk about them; makes it seem like they were here with me. What about you? What's your family like?"

"I've got one older brother, Gavin. He's made it out of the Reapings. I'm much younger than him, and my parents never let me took extra tesserae if they could help it. I really, really miss them. Every Saturday, we'd go to the Kneaded Bakery. You know where that is?"

"No kidding! I used to go there with my family all the time! Until Milton moved out and got married, that is. That bakery is right around the corner from my house. How have we never seen each other?"

We laugh, and continue talking about ourselves. Pretty soon, it's a lot like we're not even in the Games anymore. That was the least tense moment I've had in a couple of weeks. Rosalie gets up not long after. Some of the eye bags have disappeared from her face; she seems to be getting better. That's a plus.

"Hey. I couldn't help but overhear your conversations. It never occurred to me that you had just met after the Reapings. I just assumed you guys were already great friends." Rosalie says.

"Rosalie! You're up! Are you feeling better?" Emmer asks.

"I'm fine, thanks. After hearing you guys, I really, really want to go home. More than anything. Ever." She replies.

"What was your life like, before all this chaos started?" I ask.

She takes a deep breath. "I had a single father. My mom died when I was four, of a fever. My father raised me well. He was and is always there for me. He spoiled me big time, and called me Goldie." She chuckles. "He's all I've ever had. I love him so much." A couple of tears slide down her cheek. "Sorry, I didn't mean to get all emotional like that." She wipes the tears from her face on her sleeve, and turns away momentarily.

"I'm sorry. I had no idea." Emmer says, and scoots closer to comfort Rosalie. My heart softens at this; she's just a girl like me. Lost completely by the Games. I put my arms around her and give her a warm hug.

After some talking, we all agree that this past hour has brought us all so much closer. I learned so much about my allies, and I can truly call them my friends. Rosalie stands up and dusts herself off, suggesting that we go farther into the forest to get away from the town and towards the mountains. Emmer agrees, so I do too. We collect our belongings and begin hiking up the jungle.

"Look! What is that?" Rosalie shouts.

I whip my head up and see a large brown mass in the near distance. I squint to get a closer glimpse. What is that? Tumbling towards us by the second, I don't think there's much to be said. Doesn't matter what it is, it's going to kill us if we don't go. Now.

"RUN!" yells Emmer.

Charging as fast as I can back to where we came from, I snatch my bag on my way and run. Rosalie is a little behind me, and Emmer is way ahead. There's no time to think about what it is. We must've been too close to the force-field. The Gamemakers are making life hard for us, and pushing us towards the Careers. We run, and run, as fast as we can. My lungs burn and my legs ache, but I have to keep running. Thank goodness I trained my endurance at the center. Otherwise, I'd be dead.

"Help!" I hear Rosalie yelp.

I turn around to see Rosalie's feet submerged in the icky brown stuff. I stop and turn around, yelling for Emmer's help in the meantime. I couldn't just leave her to die; I would never live with myself. I get closer to the disgusting… mud? Rosalie can't run anymore. Her shoes are covered in the acrid mud, making her every step difficult. The mud has squirming centipedes and worms, with bits of twigs and branches sharp as thorns. To top it all off, its smell is enough to make me vomit. I take a deep breath through my mouth and walk towards Rosalie. The mudslide is slowing down, and I believe we're in the clear. She's shaking her hair furiously, cursing at the bugs that have gotten to her.

"Rosalie, it's okay. The mudslide is over." Emmer says. The mud begins to harden, but the bugs seem to be larger in number.

"Gross!" she spits. "Now I'm as repulsive as the Capitol."

We scrape the mud off of her shoes and continue to run. The mudslide has stopped, but who knows what the bugs are capable of. Once there is no sign of the bugs following us, I give everyone the all clear.

"That was close." says Emmer.

"It sure was." I reply.

 **A/N: What did you guys think? Please review/favorite/follow! I love all you readers so much, hope your day was/is/is going to be awesome. :)**

 **P.S. It was Nadine's birthday on Sunday! Send her your best regards if you can!**


	21. Chapter 21

Already Lost - Day 8

Lucretia

District 2

A/N: Hey everyone! It's nadinelikesbooks! I'm so sorry for such a late chapter. Finally it's here, though! I hope you enjoy! Please don't forget to favorite, follow, and review! :-)

Over the past couple of days, we've been wandering through this abandoned, chilly, silent town, sleeping in different areas every night.

"This is getting boring," Marlena says, not directly to anyone, but just to the void.

"What else are we supposed to do?" Ajax asks.

"Kill more people, rather than being killed ourselves?" Marlena snaps back.

"Got any ideas, smart one?" Ajax glares at her.

"Cartier and Angelica's deaths were their faults, not ours," Ajax says.

"I could say the same for you if I just whipped out my little knife right here and -"

"Okay!" I interrupt. "I think that's enough from you two."

Ajax and Marlena haven't been getting along these past few days, and I'm not sure why. I always thought they had similar personalities and would be good friends - allies.

"I'm gonna make a fire," Ray says, bored. "We'll be lucky if anyone tracks it down. It would give us something to do at least."

"Is this a good place to stop?" I ask, glancing around me. I am caved in by a group of trees with no leaves and numerous branches rising above my head. The skies are cloudless and gray, with soft winds being the only music present in the arena. I can see the towering, colorless buildings north upon the faint horizon.

"Does it really matter where we stay? Plus, I'm exhausted. We've been walking for hours all day. " Ajax says. Marlena sniffs and helps Ray cut down some birch wood from the trees.

The climate abruptly changed here. Right now it feels like the harsh winters in northern Panem. Previously, it felt rather humid and warm. Maybe it's the gamemakers playing with us. I snicker at the thought.

Ajax and I start preparing our portable tent, and he slowly begins to speak.

"What are we doing here, Lucie?" He hasn't called me that since we were 9 years old. "These past couple of days have been useless. I'm so bored that I'm starting to want to kill you."

"Maybe you should hold that thought," I sneer, "and just be patient."

"Do you even have a plan?"

"What is there to plan? We have no idea where anybody is, Ajax! What do you expect me to do? Sit around until somebody comes to us? Can we get that lucky?"

"I just thought you would have a plan since you're leading our way through all of this," Ajax says, revealing from his backpack a large blue cloth to be used for our standing tent's surface.

"I just don't know. We're at least lucky to still be alive."

"Well, obviously! If you're going to win, you have to stay alive. That's the way this whole thing works. So we're still alive, yeah. But there's only gonna be one of us left in the end."

I stay silent for a brief moment. "You think I don't know that?" I sigh. "Let's spend the night here, and tomorrow we can head southwest, that way we can reach the cornucopia."

Ajax nods and doesn't respond.

For the rest of the night, Ajax and I don't speak to one another. The only sounds are the cackling of the fireplace and the passing insults from Ajax to Marlena.

Not until dawn hits.

It is my turn to watch. Everyone is asleep except me, and I hear some rustling through the trees. I shoot my spine up straight, and hold my breath so I can hear what's going on.

"I saw smoke here," a male voice whispers.

"Do you think it's him?" Female. I think.

"He isn't stupid enough to leave a fire and give away his location, but we can at least look around."

I smile and cover Ajax's mouth as I wake him. Understanding what's going on, he wakes Ray and Marlena and we all slowly rise to our feet, exchanging looks.

"I'm scared. Maybe we should head out." One of the tributes says.

"No way!" The other responds. "We have to find him."

A couple moments of silence. Then, they reveal themselves through the trees and settle their eyes on us four Careers.

Both of their mouths gape open. One is a short, slim, frail looking girl, the other is a rather stout male with a broad posture, hard to be judged while it's completely dark outside.

"And who might you two be?" Marlena asks, using a gentle tone I've only heard once.

The girl stutters. "I-I'm Gertrude. District 7."

"You look seven to me," Ray says and she winces. "I'm fifteen years old."

"And who are you?" Ajax looks at and asks the boy.

"Treymond Entrial. District 11." He stands up straight, and I can tell he is holding a shaky breath.

"What are you two doing here at this time? It's past your bedtime," I smirk.

"We're looking for an ally. Please, we just went the wrong way. Please spare us," the girl -Gertrude- trembles.

"That's too bad," I exchange looks with Ray, Marlena, and Ajax. They smile at me. I look back at the two allies looking for their friend.

Gertrude looks at me and gulps deeply. I can see her whole body trembling.

"How are we going to kill your little boyfriend?" I ask her, picking up my spear from the ground. A viscous idea pops in my mind.

"Ajax, keep him standing right in front of Gertrude, at the perfect angle so she can see him."

"Got it," Ajax says, smiling.

"Please," the frail girl says, and I cut her off.

"The next fire you see will be made of his bones, blood and flesh, and you will wish that you died much before having to live through seeing this."

"Why are you doing this to us? Please, we just want to save our friend," the girl cries, struggling to blink as Ray peels her eyes open.

Treymond fidgets through Ajax's strong grip, and Marlena laughs. "Good idea, Lucretia. May I start us off?"

"Be my guest," I tell her.

Marlena begins by scraping Treymond's chest with her knife, smoothly carving a straight, single line of open flesh, blood trickling down his shirt. Then she finishes off by cutting the rest of his front body, the boy still trying to escape, grunting in pain.

I then use my spear to cut off a few of his fingers, then his toes, soon cutting deeply in his legs. Gertrude gags.

Why do I enjoy this?

Once the brave boy gives up on trying to flee, I see him fall limp in Ajax's arms. I glance at Gertrude, who I can tell is sobbing and crying not from the pain in her hands, but from the pain her eyes witnessed.

My work here was done.

"Finish him off," I said.

Ajax lets go of the boy's body and slices his head off with his sword. Blood oozes from his slashed neck, yet I don't hear a cannon. Maybe it echoed a while back while Marlena was slicing through his throat.

Gertrude screams at the top of her lungs, and vomits on the ground. "Kill me!" She shouts, banging the back of her head on the tree. "Kill me! Kill me! Just kill me!"

"Ugh. Just do it already, her voice is so annoying," Marlena sighs.

A cannon sounds as Ajax slices her head off, using his sword once again.

The smell makes us nauseous, so we all head a couple miles due southwest as I promised Ajax before, and sleep through the rest of the night as if nothing in the past hour had even happened.

A/N: *shudders* Lucretia is viscous. Stay tuned! :-)


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N Hey! Joseph here. Sorry for the long wait. Life is kinda crazy sometimes.**

 ** _Emmer Hawes, District Nine Male, 16 Years Old_**

The sun seems ready to set. It feels like I've been in here forever. How long? I think today's the ninth day. There haven't been any casualties since yesterday, when the girl from Seven and the boy from Eleven died. Based on the screams that echoed around these mountains, it must've lasted a while. I shudder, remember the nauseous sound of torture, but I have to remember that every cannon is a cannon closer to home. Home.

"How many are left?" Demetria wonders aloud.

"Umm… both from One and Two," I say.

"Us," she says, "and Rosalie. Anyone else?"

"I think that's about it."

She looks at Rosalie, sitting under a tree playing with a rope, utterly bored. She's been getting better though she's unstable at night. Demetria looks at me, and in her eyes, I can see that she's trying to be strong.

"We have to break the alliance soon," she says with a seriousness I didn't think possible.

"Why?"

"We're in the final seven. Just the Careers and us. Any one of us…" she pauses, "Could win."

I look at Rosalie. She's really a sweet girl, and I don't want to leave her to fend for herself.

I sigh. "How about this," I say, "We'll stick together until we don't have to worry about the Careers. Then… we do whatever we have to."

"Sounds good…" She falters, unsure of what to say. I watch her "tough girl" persona crumble. "Emmer, I don't know if I can do this."

"Do what?"

"Kill… live... all of this. Emmer, she's just a girl like me, scared and afraid. I don't know if I can kill her. And you. I can't kill you. I wouldn't be able to live with that."

"I couldn't kill you too," I say, "I don't know if I could kill anyone."

She smiles bitterly. "If that's the case, we're both doomed." The smile fades. "But really, the end is coming. Soon, at least one of us will be dead."

I stare at the ground. How am I supposed to respond to that? We both know she's right. I look back up. "I guess we'll have to start preparing for the worst. But c'mon, we have to eat."

When Rosalie sees us approaching, she gets up.

"I'll make dinner tonight," she says softly.

"No, it's okay," I say.

"I insist," she says, "You guys have been so kind to me. I have to do something."

"No-"

"It'll help distract me. Anything will do. I can't stand the boredom."

Demetria looks to me for direction. I shrug. "Then go ahead. We'll restock on water."

Rosalie smiles a weak smile and gets to work, creating a small fire to cook the food.

Demetria and I fill a backpack with our bottles and go to the nearby river. It's about a five-minute walk away, and I occasionally see a few fish. I can't seem to catch any, though.

"Do you know what I miss?" I say as we fill the bottles. "I mean other than everyone and everything back home."

"What?"

"Meat. Fresh meat. I think I spoiled myself in the Capitol."

She laughs. "I did too. Come to think of it, we've been living off salads and jerky."

Soon, we have three full bottles of water, and we go back to camp, where Rosalie is done.

"I boiled some jerky in the water," she says, "Maybe it'll taste a little different. Variety doesn't hurt." She sounds a bit nervous, but that's probably because she's trying something new.

"Sounds good," I say, "Let's eat."

Demetria looks at me skeptically, but I just smile. This seems to reassure her, and we sit down. She gives us the food served on the plastic containers we found at the Cornucopia, and I take a whiff of the steaming, boiled jerky. It doesn't smell bad. But before I can taste it, there's a huge crash behind us in the forest.

I whip my head around. There, running by us, is a wild pig. Meat. Enough to last us a few days. I grab my scythe.

"I'll be right back," I say, jumping up. I run into the forest, following the trail left by the pig. I'm barely into the forest before I hear a scream. The girls. I turn around and charge towards camp. I push away the last bit of foliage and stumble into the clearing, panting and out of breath. No mutts. No Careers. Then-

Demetria lies on the ground, convulsing.

"Rosalie! What happened!" I demand.

"I- I don't know."

I rush to Demetria's side. Think, Emmer, think. What causes foaming at the mouth? I search my memory, trying to remember what the trainer in the Training Center said.

Berries. That's it.

"Rosalie! What did you put in the food? Berries?"

"Yeah, some I found around here, I think-"

"You're killing her! You hear me? Where did you find them?"

I scan the bushes. No berries. Anywhere. Come to think of it, I haven't seen any berries in this part of the forest. I look down at Demetria. She stares at me, silently accusing me. How?

I hear a rustle, and I see Rosalie grabbing some supplies. It all clicks. My grip hardens around the handle of the scythe.

"You poisoned her," I say, approaching Rosalie, "And you were trying to poison me to?!"

"What did you expect me to do? Wait for you two to turn on me? I'm not stupid, you know."

"How could you!?" I say, swinging at her. Her agile form has no trouble dodging.

"You said it yourself," she says, "We do what we have to. Goodbye." With that, she takes off into the forest.

Suddenly, I'm filled with a rage I've never felt before. I charge after her into the foliage. I'm gaining on her. She's agile, but she's not built for speed. I lunge forward, swinging, and I feel the metal blade connect and dig into flesh. She screams. I hack again and again, into her body, screaming "You deserve this!" Finally, I sever her neck. Her cannon sounds.

Demetria's cannon hasn't sounded.

She's still alive.

I run back through the dense forest, my only goal to get back to Demetria. She must think I was working with Rosalie. She can't die thinking that. I double my pace, and I break into camp and collapse on my knees beside her twitching body. She's still conscious, but I know this won't last long.

"I'm sorry," I choke out, "I'm so sorry! I didn't know! You were right. I didn't know." I pause and catch my breath. I feel the tears welling up in my eyes. "I killed her. I killed her. I'm sorry." I grab her hand, and her fingers close around it. The only sound is of her erratic breathing.

Then it stops.

Her hand grows cold, and her skin turns deathly pale. Her eyes glaze over.

The cannon sounds.

The tears I've been blinking back come rushing out. I've been trying to keep everything together. In the last hour, everything has fallen apart. So I cry. There's nothing else I can do. The last rays of light disappear from the sky.

I stand up, and her words ring in my ear. "Soon, at least one of us will be dead."

The anthem begins to play, and Demetria's face is the first to show. I salute her, and then turn away. I don't want to see Rosalie's face, that traitor.

I hear a soft whisper behind me, and I turn around. "Who's there."

No, it can't be. "I killed you! This isn't you!"

There, with the moonlight shining through her, is the ghostly figure of Rosalie.

 **A/N RIP Demetria… If any readers are still left, please review! The story is slowly coming to an end!**

 **A/N from Sophie: Wow, Joseph really outdid himself here. Really blew my mind again how great he can write. Demi... my poor Demi. Her death was so sudden! It really surprised me as much as it probably surprised you. I knew she would die, but no details. It was a great experience, getting to read this last chapter with my character in it, as I wasn't the one to write her death. Please leave a nice review for Joseph and give him a virtual round of applause! :) *clap clap* and a three finger salute to Demetria**


	23. Chapter 23

Lucretia Carnell

District 2

Day 12

 ** _A/N: Hey guys! It's Nadine! I'm so happy I got to finish my homework just in time to write this chapter. :) I hope you enjoy!_**

The night passed by like a blur. The last couple of days have been rough, boring, and useless. It wasn't until now when I realized how much I miss home. I miss Mother, Father, and the pleasure given to me simply when I am in District 2. I sit on the soft ground, looking off into the faint horizon, fiddling my fingers through the emerald, fresh smelling grass. _We're almost out of here,_ I think to myself. _Just five tributes left. We can make it._ But who's we? It's either me or not me. Maybe by "we" I am referring to the other person inside of me — the wild, aggressive, brutal Lucretia — that I finally unleashed in this unfathomable arena. But if I end up going home, I don't want to leave the old Lucretia behind.

There are only five tributes left: Ray Marlena, Ajax, me, and some guy named Emmer from District 9. I'm starting to feel more conscious about the rest of the Careers since we're getting closer and closer to the end of the Games. Who knows when one of us will strike out and kill somebody?

I rose from the ground by the sound of Ray's scratchy, tired voice. "I was thinking," he scratches his head nervously, "since there's only one person out there not including us, that, uh, maybe, we can split up and find the other tribute ourselves?" This doesn't shock me. I mean, someone had to speak up sooner or later. Ajax, who sits right beside me, glances at my face and lifts his eyebrows. Marlena speaks up with her salty attitude. "So you're saying we split up, kill the District 9 boy, then meet up after that, and kill each other?" Ray says nothing but nods and looks at the ground. Marlena seems to have always been the one to speak his words for him, especially for right now. I mean, who can blame Ray? I can already feel his fear of death and salvation creeping up in my arms and legs, giving me goosebumps. I grab Ajax's hand and hold it, firm. I don't want to lose him. But it feels like I already have.

"We can't wait a little longer to say goodbye and stuff?" Ajax says, his fingers enlacing in mine. "We have all the time in the world."

"No we don't," Marlena huffs. She chuckles and says, "Plus, I've been wanting to go home forever. I need a bath."

I don't know how to respond to any of this. But I do know that if we don't split up now we won't find the District 9 boy for a long time, and the Games wont end for another while. Not unless the gamemakers decide to join in on our fun. "Ajax is right, though," I join in. "We have been here for twelve days now, we can stretch it a little bit, don't you think?"

"You tell me," Marlena sneers, her mouth twisted in a crooked smile. She rises to her feet and forcibly kicks Ajax, who still sits on the floor. His hand abruptly releases mine and he shoots straight to his feet. His nose is bleeding, but he doesn't seem to notice. I rise to my legs and stand still, my arms hanging uselessly beside me, unsure of what I should do. I feel so awkward.

Ajax snatches his sword which was resting on a tree and hits the rear of it on Marlena's back, who was bending over to grab her knives from the ground. She falls face flat on the ground, and laughs. I shudder at the sound of her giggling. Marlena has always scared me. I look up at Ray, who seems to be charging towards Ajax with my spear. _My spear._ How did he get my spear? While he reaches his arm back to thrust the weapon to Ajax's lower stomach, I jump off my legs and slam my body into Ray's, the spear that was held limply in his hand now out of sight. I kick him in the face, hard. He pulls my foot with a force so strong that I fall to the ground, my chest hitting something hard, I think a rock. I groan in pain as Ray grabs my arms and locks them behind my back, pressing them down with his foot. I can barely turn my neck to see him reach for one of Marlena's knives offered loosely from her bag, and he's about to stick it in my eye when —

BAM! I do not see how, but Ray's head slides heavily from his neck and thuds to the ground, right next to my face, a pool of blood following its path. I swallow back a barf when glancing into his still, opened glass eyes. I jump to my feet once again while I quickly wipe the dirt from my legs, relieved. A cannon sounds.

But it's not Ray's.

I stand still, weak, hopeless, my mouth gaping open, watching him fall helplessly with his blood-stained sword to the ground. His chest is open, splotched with dark blood, and I dare to raise my head even more to see his bright blue eyes, possibly the brightest thing in the arena, locked on mine. A small, proud, assuring, crooked smile spreads across his face after saving my life. My heart skips a beat. His expression was just like that when I'd first met him. Suddenly, it feels as if it's always been there. I can still hear his laugh ringing in my ears from the remains of the cannon as he drops to the ground, my tears following him.

Ajax.

I don't know what happened after that.

I know I screamed, I cried, I ripped the grass from the ground. I know I screamed even more, and shouted louder than I had ever shouted before. I know I found my spear and failed breaking it in half, however, I used it to slice Marlena's soulless body in half while she laughed and laughed after killing my best friend. I threw rocks at her dead corpse. I pounded my fists on the spruce trees and wished I, too, were dead. I couldn't hear her cannon after that, just the faint sound of Ajax's laughing in the back of my mind. He's gone. He's dead. So is Ray and Marlena, but not me.

Why couldn't it have been me?

I don't know what it was. The old Lucretia or the new Lucretia that took off running cluelessly in the deep forest, with nothing but her spear gripped tightly in her pulsing hand, running faster than she had ever led herself before. Adrenaline rushed through me as I ripped through the trees and crushed the grass with my loss of reason and compassion, but I could finally hear my thoughts.

I don't know if I am asleep or awake, dead or alive. All I know is that I am going to win these Games for Ajax; I am going to win these Games for myself.

His laugh continues whistling through me like the wind in my hair as I keep on running.

 ** _A/N: AJAX! :( :( :(_**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: I (Joseph) am back with another late chapter! Everything is coming to an end very soon…..**

 ** _Emmer Hawes, District Nine Male, 16_**

I sit on a rock on a mountain, looking down at the arena. Even from here, the Cornnucopia stands out in the evening light, as a shiny spot beside the ocean, which stretches out over the horizon. This arena would be beautiful. When I look to my right, I can see the tallest mountain in this place. Unlike all the other mountains, that one is bare rock, which explains why it's been left alone all this time. Anyone walking on it would be seen by everyone.

Everyone. Out of the 24 to set forth in this arena, only two remain. One is me, obviously, and I'm positive that the other is the District Two Female. Ha. Abnormal. It's not like the Careers always make it to the final few. I'm actually surprised that they decided to kill each other before hunting me down. Thanks for making my life easier. Easier. No, not really. I've been evading her for the past two days, which is when she killed the rest of the Careers. She almost bumped into me yesterday. Thankfully, she didn't appear to be really trying to hunt me down, so she didn't notice me in a patch of bushes.

I tap my dirty fingers on the rock. It's almost time. Once the sun sets, my torture will begin again. Torture. That's probably the closest word I can think of. Ever since I killed that betrayer Rosalie, her ghost has been haunting me. Apparently, when you kill someone in this arena, their ghost comes back to haunt you. It's been like this for the past few days. Though it's better during the day, it's impossible at night. I'm so tired; I haven't sept in days. My entire body aches from runnning through the forest, trying to get away from the spirit I know I can't escape from. My clothes are caked with mud from last night, when I fell into a mud pit I couldn't see in the dark. I must look pitiful; definitely not the same person I was that night on the interviews. If I win, I'll never be able to go back to that. I killed a person. I know it was for a good reason, but tell that to my conscience. Stains of her blood remain on my jacket, and every time I look at them, they tell me that I'm a murderer. I'm not the same Emmer as before. I killed another human.

The last rays of the sun are dissappearing, and I turn around to see Rosalie's ghost behind me.

"You killed me," she says, for the hundreth time.

"Yes, I did," I reply.

"You must pay," she says, walking up to me. She slaps me in the face, and it actually hurts. She can hit me, but I can't hit her. All the same, I swing my scythe. It passes through her body, leaving her completely unscathed. She pushes me off the rock and begins to kick me. I sturggle and try to resist, but I can't. Every swing goes right through her.

She picks up a rock. I stumble to my feet and begin to run. I don't hear footsteps, but I know she's coming. She always is. I feel something hard hit me on my back. She's throwing stones. I double my pace, but no matter what, every time I look back, she's stll there. It begins to rain, fast and hard, and I struggle to keep from slipping.

I stumble over a tree branch, and my face hits the muddy ground. I curl up into a ball, just as the kicks and the hits begin. I grit my teeth, but eventually, the pain becomes unbearable.

"Please," I cry, "Stop! Please!"

She just laughs. "You can't just get away with this. And you know what? You're goning to die. Your blood is going to be spilled everywhere. Your head is going to be slowly cut off, inch by inch. But before that, she'll tear apart your body. Your intestines are going to fall out, and you fingers will be lying on the ground, severed, in front of your eyes. And your family is going to watch every bit of it. And-"

I plug my ears to block her out, but I can still hear her cackle. All of a sudden, a huge roaring sound floods my ears. The kicks stop, and I leap to my feet, grab my scythe, and run to the nearest clearing. I look towards the ocean. Huge waves of water are beginning to swamp the market, and the water level consistently rises at an alarmingly abnormal rate. They're flooding the arena. Look for high ground. One hugh crash of lightning jolts me to my senses, and I begin to run. The highest place in the arena is the bare rock mountain; that must be where I'm supposed to go. They're brnging this to an end.

Soon, I see that I'm in for trouble. I have to go down this mountain to go up that mountain, and the valley is quickly being flooded with water. I run as fast as I can, but as I get closer, the ground underneath my feet slides into the turbulent water, bringing me with it.

I reach around, trying to get a hold of a tree branch, a trunk, anything to keep me afloat, all while trying to hold on to my only weapon. The current swirls me around, throwing me in every direction. I begin to go under. I try kicking my feet, but I'm quickly sinking. This is it. I'm going to die. All of a sudden, my feet hit hard ground and I push myself out of the water, still gripping on to the scythe. Up above me is my destination, and I quickly sprint up the mountain. My wet shoes have trouble finding traction on the stone, but though I slip, I crawl to my feet and continue running, the water close at my heels. Finally, I reach the top, where I collapse on the ground, heaving, trying to catch my breath.

I sense movement out of the corner of my eye. Rosalie? No, she's been gone for a while, but I didn't notice when she disappeared. I get to my feet. It's the District Two Female, armed with a spear. She nods at me. I just stare at her. This is where it all ends. My fist hadens around the handle of the scythe, and I charge.

She points her spear at me, and I push it out of the way with my scythe. Before I can hit her, she whips the spear around, hitting me with its handle and knocking me to the ground. She tries to pin me to the ground, but I roll to the side. It snags my jacket, and I rip it off of me. I get back up while she jabs at me. I grit my teeth and charge is the only way I have a chance. If I get too far from her, she can skewer me with her spear from a distance. The handle hits me on the back of my head, and for a second, everything goes black. I move to the side, and pain erupts from my left shoulder. My vision clears, and I quickly swing back, catching her off guard. The scythe digs into her arm, and she screams in pain. I wrench the scythe out, and she simultaneously strikes at me. Before I can react, I feel pain in my abdomen. I look down, and I see her yanking her spear out of my body. I continue swinging, but all of a sudden, the scythe is knocked from my hand.

I'm going to die. That is the only thought running through my head. She lunges forward and the spear goes into my body again. I scream. My vision is beginning to blur, but I look into her eyes.

"I'm sorry," she whispers, refusing to look back at me. She pulls the spear out and strikes again.

I barely feel it when it pierces my chest.

Goodbye, Mom, Dad, Milton, Kasha.

Goodbye.

 **A/N: Goobye, Emmer. He was such a great character to write. We have one more chapter, so don't leave just yet!**


	25. Chapter 25 (epilogue, final)

I sit on my smoothly carved wooden desk, chewing on my pencil, with an empty sheet of paper lying uselessly in front of me.

Mother had made me tea. Looking at her soft, assuring smile, it was only more difficult to remember what had happened after the last night in the games, once I was retrieved from a soaring hovercraft in the sky. I decide it's just too painful and time wasting to try to remember. I distract myself and look at the paper once again.

What in the name of Panem am I ever supposed to write to my dead best friend for his funeral? This letter is going to be much harder than I thought.

It seems like Mother had read my mind. Her familiar rough tone approaches the back of my neck and makes me jolt. "Lucretia, this letter thing is driving you crazy. You know you don't have to write to him."

"I know."

"Why are you, then?"

"Ajax is my best friend." I can't say any more than that, being choked up by the sound of my own voice; although Mother doesn't seem to understand me, for some reason.

She exchanges looks with Father, and he gives me disapproving face which I simply ignore.

I thought I would be happy to win these Games. I was so confident. I was prepared. Now I'm just disgusted with myself knowing that I actually enjoyed the majority of it, you know, before my best friend died. The thought of it makes me want to break my pencil in half and smash the innocent cup of earl-grey tea on the ground. How can I ever forgive myself for all the lives I ended and all the families I destroyed? Nothing will ever be the same. I think of the last boy I killed, and how I actually felt bad for him, unlike everyone else I tortured. I remember seeing Ajax when I looked at him. I remember feeling like I was the one who had killed Ajax at that very moment. I almost couldn't do it.

I think of Marlena. Her ghost-like presence sort of creeps inside of me and automatically makes me pick up my pencil. Intensely, I begin to write, rage pouring the words inside of me out and onto the fragile page.

 _Dearest Ajax,_

 _This letter was extremely hard to start, but now that I have it going, I think it will be pretty easy to finish. Before the Games started, the only thing I thought about was how I was going to handle competing with you. I knew it was going to be one of us who survived, the other one just like the rest of them. Dead. I couldn't accept it! It was driving me crazy, keeping me up almost every night after both of us volunteered at the Reaping. I had felt like I was already lost in the arena before I knew what it looked like. Now I feel even more lost knowing that you're gone._

 _That arena really changed us. We were so driven by it since we all had the same goal: to win. But I don't even feel like I won, since I had to lose what was most important to me. We've played so many games and had so many talks. It's just hard to believe it all had to end in the game we fought the hardest to win._

 _Always thinking of you,_

 _Lucretia._

A/N's:

Joseph: A/N Hey everyone, this is Joseph speaking. or typing. whatever. Anyway, I'd like to thank everyone that's been reading, and just so you, we have more planned... :). Also, since this is the last chapter, even if you're a guest, would you mind leaving a little note and let us know you've been reading. We all greatly appreciate it!

Nadine: Hey guys, it's Nadine here :) this is my final chapter and the last chapter for Already Lost. It's like a little epilogue thing, I suppose. This collaboration was a wonderful experience and I'm so glad I got to work with two amazing people and writers! Thank you guys so much for all the support :) stay tuned for future collabs! ;)

Sophie: Hola, it's me, Sophie. Well, I'd just like to thank everyone for reading and going through this journey with us. This was my first collab, and fanfic ever, for that matter. It was truly one of the greatest experiences ever. I'm very honored to have worked with such great writers for my first collab J. Once again, thanks so much for sticking with us. If you would, please leave one last review for us! We'll be back!


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